


DC Roleplays

by Arii_Writes, briskyfrisky, CatchyArtz, desolationofzara, secretlyaspeedster



Category: DCU, Super Sons (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Roleplay, Spice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2018-12-09 02:45:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 27
Words: 122,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11659992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arii_Writes/pseuds/Arii_Writes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/briskyfrisky/pseuds/briskyfrisky, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatchyArtz/pseuds/CatchyArtz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/desolationofzara/pseuds/desolationofzara, https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretlyaspeedster/pseuds/secretlyaspeedster
Summary: An archive of roleplays by secretlyaspeedster (SAS/Secret), catchyartz, briskyfrisky, BENJJI_G, and desolationofzara





	1. Stargazing (Damijon)

**Author's Note:**

> CatchyArtz as Jon  
> SAS as Damian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian and Jon go stargazing.
> 
> They're aged up in this one to make the making out less uncomfortable haha
> 
> This one is a rollercoaster of emotions so buckle your seatbelts my friends as we take off on the "Feels Mobile"

Damian wasn't fond of the beach. In fact, he would rather be almost anywhere but the beach. Especially Gotham beach, which was entirely too eerie and unwelcoming. (If the sand that got everywhere and the salt that stung wasn't already unwelcoming enough).  
But he already promised to go with Jon, who had simply stated "It'll be a clear night, and there's a full moon, we have to go!" And Damian couldn't find any excuses against it. So here they were, walking down the sidewalk, only 2 blocks away from the beach. Yay.  
"Double check and make sure you have the towel in the bag. I'm not sitting on the sand.." He grumbles, looking at his phone, seeing if there was any chance of rain. Nope.

Jon dug through the bag until he felt the fuzzy beach towel at the bottom. "Yep, I got it!" he said cheerfully, practically skipping along the sidewalk. He was already thoroughly enjoying his night. Any time with Damian is a good time, and the cool nighttime weather improved his mood even more. The Boy of Steel beamed at Damian, eyes sparkling.  
"I can't wait!"

A tug in his stomach _forces_ a small smile onto his lips. The younger boy's excitement was too contagious, it even got through to Damian. Some part of him didn't mind though.  
They walk a bit more, until stopping at a red light. Car horns blaring, lights flashing. Bruce was reluctant to agree to Damian going out that night, but said yes anyways. After all, he's still a kid, much to Damian's protests.  
"Good," Damian flings his backpack around so he can open the front zipper, fishing out a juice box. "Want one?" He gestures the box to Jon.

"Yes please!" Jon takes the box and rips the straw from the side, swiftly piercing it into the container. "Thanks!" He takes a large gulp from the box and swallows, enjoying the sweet liquid. Jon suddenly feels his nerves getting the best of him. _This feels way too much like a date. Is it a date? Does Damian think it's a date?_ Jon looks over at the boy, whose gaze is locked ahead and hands are shoved casually into his pockets. _Probably not._ Jon looks back down to the ground in front of him, his face suddenly warm. He takes a deep breath and looks up. The light is green.

Damian feels a slight heat cluster at his cheeks watching Jon eagerly take the box. Why? Heck if Damian knew. He also didn't know how to stop the heat forming at his cheeks. He'll research that later..  
_Oh here comes a witty comment.._  
"Don't forget to breath," He smirks, downing his self guilt and starts to walk forward.  
Why wasn't Jon moving yet? "Come on Kent," Damian lightly grabs the material of Jon's sleeve, tugging him forward a bit until he gets that he's supposed to be walking now.

Jon's face just gets redder when he snaps out of his trance and realizes Damian is tugging gently on his sleeve. "Oh, sorry!" He tries his best to hide his burning face, thanking the heavens that it was night and that Damian probably hadn't noticed. He walks forward so he and Damian are side by side and Damian lets go of his sleeve. Jon immediately feels a wave of disappointment crash over him and scolds himself for it. _This is not a date, Jon. Stop getting so excited._ He takes a small sip from the juice box, chewing lightly on the straw to calm himself. _Start a conversation! Conversations are fun!_ "So, uh... Do you know anything about stars?"

What did Damian _not_ know about the stars. His mother had taught him how to use them in any situation where he was lost with no means of direction. Not to mention at the age of 5 he memorized all of the main constellations.  
What did Jon know?  
"The basics," he lies, turning his head a bit to face Jon, then taking a sip of his juicebox. "I know the constellations. What about you?" He cocks his head to the side a bit. _If he says something dorky, he might pass out_

"I know they're pretty," Jon says, smiling up at them as if they could hear his compliment. "I have lots of glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling! They're nothing like the real thing of course, but they still help me fall asleep." He sighs slightly, a dreamy look on his face. He turns to Damian abruptly. "When we get there, you gotta show me the constellations!"

 _Does he even know how dorky he is?_ Damian sort of of hums, looking at Jon looking at the stars.  
He ponders for a moment on Jon's request/demand. "I guess I could," he says taking a solemn sip of his juice box before crossing in front of Jon to the trash can, tossing the trash. He tips his head back looking up. He almost wonders what it would be like up in space, looking at a cluster nebula with your own eyes.  
He's so lost in thought he doesn't realize he's shoulder to shoulder with Jon now.

Jon's eyes snap to Damian when he feels their shoulders brush against each other. He looks too engrossed in the stars to notice how close they are. Jon feels his cheeks getting red all over again and purses his lips together. _Okay Jon, don't screw this up. Just... casually.. slip your arm in there... success!!_ Jon does a mental cheer when he successfully links their arms together.

Damian can feel a warmth draw at his side, and all the butterflies in his stomach flip upside-down as his head follows to the movement of Jon's arm entangled with his. What was this? Was he about to tug Damian along somewhere? Was he walking too slow?  
He's pretty sure his face is a bright red color now, and all Damian can do is keep walking. He never pushes Jon away. He decides he likes their arms like this and he feels himself fighting a surprised smile while he stares at the boy's arm.

They walk like that in a comfortable silence until they reach the boardwalk. Jon listens to their footsteps make clunking sounds on the wood and continues onward until they find a good spot not too close to the waves and not too far either. He digs out the blanket and spreads it neatly on the beach, careful to brush off any grains of sand so Damian could be the most comfortable. He gestures dramatically with wide arms to the blanket, bowing slightly. "For you, sir."

"Thank you," he says dumbly, butterflies still doing cartwheels in his stomach. Something weird climbs up his throat, something almost like a giggle. Disgusting. Hopefully it was only contained to his vocal cords. He carefully sits down, making sure not to track sand onto the blanket and shrugs off his book bag. Using it for support he leans back in it, eyes following Jon's movements.  
Clearing his throat he asks quietly, "Do you think we'll see any shooting stars?"

Jon perks up at that, plopping down next to Damian. "Ooo I hope so! I heard there's a chance of meteor showers this week." He sets the beach bag next to him and lays down, hands linked beneath his head. He watches the sky carefully, oblivious to Damian's staring.

It takes everything in Damian not to move closer to Jon's warmth, steeling himself with a sigh. "Do me a favor and grab the speaker out of the beach bag?" He fixes his eyes on his phone, trying to find a song to play. Sure, the waves were soothing, but he needed something extra to be able to drown out the _lovely_ city noises.

"Sure thing," Jon says, pulling the speaker out of the bag carefully. He lays it down next to him and flicks the "on" switch. He shifts on the blanket, attempting to find a comfortable position. As soon as he does he stills, once more consumed by the sparkling night sky.

Damian nervously contemplates the song. It was fairly new but you hardly heard it on the radio but as of late he was engrossed with the lyrics. How ironic they were.  
He hits play on "I Want Something Just Like This" By Coldplay and sucks in a breath of air. Maybe it was a mistake, so he lowers the volume a few notches and indulges himself in stargazing for a moment, quickly stealing glances to make sure Jon wasn't snickering at him.

Jon listens halfheartedly to the lyrics at first, slowly but surely gaining interest. By the second chorus he's invested in the song. For a moment, he can picture Damian singing the song to him, the image slowly fading as he remembers Damian thought nothing more of him than a work partner. Jon feels his heart sink and suddenly he can feel himself frowning sadly. He can't bring himself to force a smile, so he stares up at the stars instead, enjoying the melody until it fades.

Damian's heart is fluttering, happy Jon hadn't busted out laughing. He's not sure if he's relieved Jon hadn't commented on the song... But he grows more anxious that he hasn't said anything in awhile, so he points his right index finger to a cluster of stars off to their left. "Big Dipper. That over there to the right," he's whispering now "is Cancer. " he realizes how abrupt he said it. "N-not the um.. It's cancer the constellation.." His arm falls down beside him, clenched in a frustrated fist. _That was very intelligent,_ he thinks, scowling to himself.

Jon smiles slightly at Damian's attempt to break the silence, but doesn't laugh to spare him his pride. Jon looks subtly at Damian and feels the pit in his chest get replaced with a warm, happy feeling. _At least I get to do this with him._ Jon studies every beautiful detail of Damian; his bright green eyes and jet black hair and smooth, tan skin. He drinks in all of it like it's the last time he'll ever see him and he can't help but think, _God, I want to kiss him._

Damian doesn't hear the familiar start of one his most listened to songs until it's too late. _ohshiohshioshioshi_  
_The sun goes down,_  
_The stars come out,_  
"Fuck! -- damn, where did my phone go?!" He shot up from his relaxed position to start frantically looking "Where the-?"  
_And all that counts,_  
_Is here and now_  
Damian is about to lose it at this point, his face red as can be.

Jon stares at Damian, clearly flustered beyond belief. He chuckles lightly, cheeks turning pink as well.  
_My universe will never be the same_  
Jon takes Damian's hand in his and in a sudden act of bravery leans forward slowly, giving him plenty of time to move away if he wanted.  
_I'm glad you came_

Damian at first has no idea what's going on. All he knows is he's making a fool of himself and Jon is there suddenly, inches away from his face. His mind is telling him to go for it but he can't bring himself to move forward, so he lets himself be kissed. Once their lips meet, Damian starts to slowly bring his free hand to gently cup Jon's cheek. His eyes flutter closed, finally feeling the butterflies exit his stomach, spreading through his whole body.

Jon's heart beats alarmingly fast as he kisses Damian, tremors going through his body as he feels Damian cup his cheek with his hand. _He wants this! He likes me!_ And suddenly Jon feels like he's on top of the world and nothing would ever hurt again because he's _kissing_ Damian Wayne. Jon deepens the kiss slightly, pressing his hand onto the ground beside Damian's waist.

Damian doesn't think he's ever felt so happy, relieved, eager. All of the "what-ifs" that have been swimming through his head for months finally became "it's happening", and he feels a hum form in his throat. The cupped hand at Jon's cheek moves up his jawline to his raven hair, and he gently--so gently, afraid he might break the boy if he isn't-- strokes the strands. He lets Jon deepen the kiss and Damian slowly pulls away a bit, breathing in, hoping Jon would chase after him and want more kisses from him.

Jon presses his forehead against Damian's and lets him catch his breath for a moment before kissing him again. He presses him ever so gently into the towel, lowering him so his neck isn't straining too much and giggles breathlessly against the kiss. His hands are on either side of Damian's face, caressing and touching and Jon doesn't want to ever let go.

He finds himself smiling, re-tangling his hand in Jon's deathly soft hair. He cant believe himself, but he hears a sigh escape his lips. He snakes his other arm around to Jon's back, lightly pressing down, willing him to come closer as he's laid slowly into the towel. Nothing in the world matters. He's kissing the only person who matters, and Jon is kissing him back. He almost thinks he's dreaming.. _i don't want this to end.._ "Y-you're so beautiful.. " he finds himself thinking out loud in between kisses, slowly regaining oxygen back into his lungs. There's no filter right now.

Jon feels Damian's arm subtly pressing against his back and leans in closer, their bodies flush together. Jon's heart nearly stops when he hears Damian's whisper. He's not sure how to respond so he settles for a quiet, "I love you." before diving back into the kiss. He's on top of Damian now, impossibly close and _kissing_. Jon lets the reality sink in for the third time that night. _We're kissing oh my god we're kissing...!_ Jon opens his mouth slightly, nipping at Damian's bottom lip gently.

Damian hopes he's doing okay. He really hasn't.. Kissed someone like this before. _But Jon acts like he's had practice._  
His heart soars, hearing those three words. _he loves me.. Jon loves me_ and for a minute Damian hopes he doesn't go into cardiac arrest. He can feel Jon's heartbeat through both of their shirts and it's unbelievable.  
There is a very audible gasp from Damian feeling a soft tug on his pink lips.

Jon snickers softly as he hears Damian gasp. He's unsure and desperate but heck if that's gonna stop him from enjoying this moment. Everything is perfect and Jon moves one of his hands to Dami's hair. He cheekily sneaks his tongue into Damian's mouth as he gasps, taking advantage of his open mouth.

Damian feels so many things at once: A soft, pale hand in his hair making him _purr_ with happiness. _Can I do that? Purr?_ that's the only way he could describe the noise he was making, but it was slightly muffled by Jon's tongue in his mouth. _How sneaky_... He thinks.  
Only when he's fully out of breath does Damian crane his neck away from Jon, gasping.

Jon's heart flutters with delight as he hears and feels Damian purring against his mouth. Jon feels the warmth leave his mouth as Damian pulls away to catch his breath, gasping for air. Jon nuzzles Damian's neck as he catches his breath, feeling his chest heave beneath his own. "Mmh," Jon hums against Damian's neck, breathing in his scent.

"I love you too," He forgot he didn't even say it back. His breathing slows from a pant to heavy breaths, wincing slightly. His weak spots were around his neck and shoulders and the warm huffs of air coming from Jon weren't helping. _Just so long as he doesn't kiss there... I can contain myself._ but part of him wants Jon to his his neck, below his jaw. Damian twines a few strands of Jon's hair between his fingers. He'll never look at his hair the same way again. He'll never look at Jon the same way again.

Jon feels warm and fuzzy as he hugs Damian close, feeling his breaths slowly even out. He feels Dami twitch slightly as he breathes against his neck and smirks mischievously. He slowly, teasingly, presses his lips against Damian's neck and anticipates the response.

As hard as he tries, a whimper escapes past his lips, and he feels his leg intertwine with Jon's, pressing them together more. "Don't you dare.." He warns. 'Warns.' There was supposed to be an edge to his voice but it came out tasteless and without reason. _wait what if he doesn't do it now_

 _Oh no, that's hot,_ is Jon's first thought as he hears Damian whimper and shift beneath him. Jon chuckles from Damian's reaction and empty threat, planting a few more gentle kisses on his neck before gradually making them more intense. Soon he's sucking and biting at Damian's skin, carefully not breaking it but not being quite as gentle as before either.  
"I love you," Jon murmurs against Damian. _Finally! I can say it without worrying._ He feels a huge burden being lifted off his shoulders and he says it again. And again. "I love you. I love you."

Damian takes in a few low breaths, trying his best not to groan. The kisses at his neck we're getting deeper and harder, teeth ghosting over the tender skin. _Now I have to cover that up.. Thanks a lot, Jon_  
He nuzzles his nose into Jon's hair, attempting to hide the strangled noises bubbling their way out of his mouth.  
"I love you, Jon," Damian's voice had dropped a few octaves, giving it a coarse but silky tone. He slightly chuckles at the words being repeated over and over.. But he loves it all the same.How long has _this_ been bottled up inside Jon?

Jon presses a few more kisses into Damian's jaw and neck, reveling in the small noises he made at every bit of contact. He feels his heart beat faster when Damian answers his many "I love you"s with one of his own, his voice deeper and much more... sexy sounding than he was used to. He hopes Damian doesn't notice the way his breath picks up at the sound of his voice. He stops kissing Damian for once, pulling away just a bit so their faces are inches away from each other. _He's beautiful,_ Jon thinks, beaming from ear to ear. _He's beautiful and he's mine!_

Damian's eyes flutter open from the lack of soft lips against him, and is staring directly into a deep void of blue. His heart feels like it stops, basking in the intense gaze he was receiving. All he's ever wanted to do was just stare into his sapphire eyes, wondering how amazing it would be. No words could describe how the starlight played off of Jon's handsome face, the shadows giving him a whole new ambience. _He's all I ever wanted and more. What have I done to deserve him? Do I even deserve him?_

Jon gazes into Damian's emerald green eyes, similar thoughts rushing through his head. It's so overwhelming Jon begins to chuckle, and before he knows it he's laughing heartily and can't stop. "Oh my gosh!" Jon manages through barely contained giggles. "What will our dads say?"

He looks confused at first, but then he realizes it too. _Damn._  
"Well," Damian begins passively, "Father would never forgive me if you did this-" glances down to his neck, where he can spot _several_ hickeys. "And I didn't do anything about it." He ends with his voice turning low and gravelly, his lips turning into a smirk.  
Abruptly, he flips their positions so Damian is over Jon.

"Whoa!" Jon gasps as Damian flips them over, not even bothering to attempt to stifle the noise. He suddenly finds himself staring up at Damian instead of down. The boy's face is now a lot more shadowed and the light from the moon silhouettes his body perfectly. He feels cornered and safe and warm and he _loves_ it. Jon smiles, bringing his arms up to wrap around Damian's neck. "Show me what you got," he replies flirtily.

Something like a fire ignites in Damian's chest, looking down at Jon, still smirking deviously. He brings the back of his hand up to Jon's cheek rubbing softly against him. He dips his head to mask the wide grin he wore on his face before placing gentle kisses right where his jaw meets his neck, before moving down to his collar bone, sucking and nuzzling the tissue. "R'soft," Damian draws out the word as much as he can, trying to get a reaction out of the body under him.

"Mm..." Jon hums softly as Damian kisses his neck and collarbone. He shifts back a little, silently signaling to Damian to sit up. Once the pressure is gone from his chest he takes off his shirt and discards it on the beach, leaning back so he's lying down again.

Damian sits back, feeling very much deprived of warmth, and his eyes widen when Jon tosses his shirt out of reach. He's seen Jon without a shirt on before. Heck, he's seen him in his boxers. But now it's _different_ and he can't help but start furiously tugging on his shirt collar, trying to force it about his head. He then flings it right beside Jon's and stares. He just stares. Because _god, Jon looks hot without a shirt._

Jon is staring at Damian's bare chest as well, a slow blush creeping over his cheeks. He wraps his arms around Damian's torso this time, pulling him closer. "You're amazing," he says breathlessly and without shame, because it's the truth and Damian needs to hear it.

He lets himself be pulled closer to Jon, taking in his words. In the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't true. Jon has seen horrible sides of Damian Wayne... Disgusting, horrible, terrifying sides.  
He doesn't know what came over him, but he bows his head and whispers ever so lightly; "Why don't you think I'm a _monster_?"

Jon may be brash and not the smartest kid in the world, but he's can... sense what people are feeling. And right now, Damian is feeling unworthy. Jon wants to make him feel like he's worth the entire world- because he is to Jon. So he cups Damian's face in his hands gently, looks into his eyes, and says confidently, "Because you would never try to hurt me."

 _Oh no,_ He already feels his vision blur, and a singular tear drops off of his dark eyelashes, rolling down the side of his cheek.  
"I-I love you.. So much.. I don't think you will ever know how much you mean to me, beloved." Damian chokes out the sentence and he feels more tears form. But through it all he's smiling.. Those were happy tears, he decided.

Jon smiles bittersweetly, swiping his thumb over Damian's cheek to wipe the tears off his face. He slowly and gently moves to hug Damian, encasing the smaller boy in his warmth and rubbing soothing circles on his back until the tiny spasms die down.  
" _You are my sunshine_ ," Jon begins singing softly, still rubbing Damian's back.  
_"My only sunshine_  
_You make me happy_  
_When skies are gray_  
_You'll never know, dear_  
_How much I love you_  
_Please don't take my sunshine away..."_

Damian internally hums the song, fearing if he makes another attempt to talk he'll keep crying. He hadn't heard that in a very long time.. Jon's voice was silky smooth, calming and warm. He _loved_ it.  
He looks up just as Jon stop's singing, bumping their noses. He stays like that, staring into Jon's eyes, not saying a word. They didn't have to, Damian was content with listening to Jon's heartbeat. He blinks quickly a few times, getting the last tears out of his eyes. "Beloved," he call's Jon that again, placing a small kiss on the tip of his red tinted nose.

Jon smiles as Damian kisses him on the nose. _That was really cute ahhh,_ Jon mentally screams. The pet name "beloved" sparks an idea in his head, and he grins mischievously. "What if I called you my little prince?" Jon laughed, breaking the silence for a good humored joke. At least, that was what it was supposed to be. Jon had no idea that the pet name would stick for the rest of their relationship.

He turns his head to the side, confused. _Little Prince?_ At the name, he rolls his eyes. "If you call me that in public, Kent, we're going to fight." He throws on a lazy grin, peppering teasing kisses on Jon's cheek, chin, forehead and neck. All just missing his lips..  
"I'm older than you.. I'm not 'little..'"

"You're little to me," Jon laughs, patting Damian's head for effect. "You're what- 3 years older than me? And I still tower over you by half a head!" Jon puts on his best pouty face as Damian continues leaving small kisses all around his face. "Stop it, you tease," Jon scolds, leaning forward to chase Damian's lips.

"Says the half Kryptonian.." He mumbles, letting Jon pat his head. And for that, he dodges when Jon reaches for a kiss. "You're not being nice," he sticks out his tongue at Jon. Infuriatingly, he did have to tilt his head to fully look Jon in the eyes. Oneday Damian would hit his growth spurt.. Hopefully. And would scoop Jon up in his arms saying _i told you so._


	2. Bullied (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon is bullied by some kids at school for being queer and attempts to hide his injuries from Damian during a mission.
> 
> Trigger warning: Homophobic slurs in the first section but after that it's clean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jon  
> SAS as Damian

"Hey!" A familiar voice calls out to Jon from behind him. Jon sighs. _Not this again._ He attempts to keep walking, ignoring the boy's shouts. Jon feels a sharp tug on his backpack and suddenly he's on his back, flat on the ground. The boy stomps down on Jon's stomach hard, drawing all the breath out of him. Jon fights all his instincts screaming at him to fry this kid with his heat vision and instead grasps the boy's foot, pulling it out from underneath him. "Leave me alone," Jon demands, standing up and turning to walk away again.  
As soon as he turns he bumps into another boy, just a few inches taller than himself. "Where do you think you're going, _fag_?" he spits, sneering. Jon hisses as he's grabbed by the arm and thrown to the ground again. He attempts to get up, but as soon as he does there's pressure on his back.  
"Stay down," the first boy warns. _Like hell I'm staying down._ Jon makes a move to turn over, but the second kid anticipates this and pins his arms to his sides.  
Suddenly there's a hand in his hair, pulling, and Jon can't help but cry out as his head is yanked back painfully.  
"We're gonna make you wish you were never born, princess."

 

"Master Damian," Alfred's voice echoes through the bat cave. Damian turns away from the batcomputer, closing a few case files and spotting Alfred and Jon at the upper level of the cave. "Master Jon is here." Damian nods, motioning for Jon to come down. Jon smiles warmly to Alfred, who disappears back to upstairs while Jon makes his way down.  
"I have an eventful training day ahead of us. You may be the Boy of Steel, but you also seem to be incapable of keeping your invulnerability at the worst times. Set your stuff down and get changed." Damian starts to wrap up his right hand and wrist from a burn he had gotten 2 nights ago on patrol.  
"How was your day?" He decides to ask. That would seem normal enough. He was genuinely interested, and Jon seemed awfully quiet which was definitely out of the norm.

Jon gulped. He was never really good at lying. Hopefully he could dodge enough questions for Damian to not be too suspicious. It would be difficult to get through two hours with him though... "It was good. How was yours?" Jon kept his answer simple. He didn't trust his mouth at the moment.

He sighed, choosing to ignore the fact how weird the younger was being. "Solving cases that are 'impossible' to solve. I did some reading.." He slides across the sleek floor in his black socks, reaching for his boots. "Also, Grayson showed me a shady looking phone he found. Traced it back to the south side of Gotham. He wants us to check it out," he snickers. "If you're up for it."

"Always," comes Jon's reply, trying to smile and realizing it probably looked fake a moment too late. _Crap- now what?_ Jon just chuckles nervously to hide the smile, mentally punching himself in the face. _Stupid stupid stupid_

Damian slowly walked over to Jon. Something was off, and he was about to find out. "Jon," he says gently, eyes wandering to his scraped hands, up to a bruise under his chin. _what the--_  
"Are you okay?" It sounds more soft than he means it. He's demanding Jon to tell him. He didn't have the right to keep things from him. To lie.

 _Noooo ohmygod he's walking over to me crap what do I do-_ Jon freezes as Damian's eyes study his body. _Please stop please please please_ Jon flinches when Damian asks if he's okay, despite how softly it's said. "Y-yes. Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired." Jon ducks his head and tilts his hands so the bruises are less visible. _Just please go away, I don't want to talk about this._ Knowing Damian, he'd probably press Jon for information until he gave it. Jon tried not to panic under Damian's steady gaze.

Damian could read Jon easy. They had been working together for over a year and a half now, and he knew Jon was _scared_. What? Why was he scared?  
He's getting impatient now. But Jon looks tired, there are dark circles forming under his blue eyes... There wasn't that usual sparkle in them, which concerned him. "You should be getting at least 9 hours for someone your age.." He gives Jon one last, long, concerning stare and then walks past him to grab his compression shirt.

Jon nearly passes out with relief as Damian passes him, following him into the aircraft. Jon takes his seat beside Damian, fiddling with his seatbelt. _This is good. This is okay_ , Jon tells himself, straightening up. _I'll just finish the mission with Robin and then I'll get to go home and we can pretend this never happened._ Jon still can't bring himself to talk, though. He decides to sit in silence, closing his eyes to make Damian think he really was tired. Which he was, actually.

Damian entered coordinates, occasionally stealing a glance of the boy next to him, so tired. Damian couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt stab his gut, knowing he was probably the reason Jon was so tired.. He was doing this for him though. He was training Superboy to be the best he can be.  
But still..  
They landed a not long after they took off and he unbuckled himself, lightly nudging Jon. "Are you coming?"

Jon was surprised to find he had dazed off a bit, only shaking himself awake when he felt Damian nudge him a little. "Oh, yeah! Sorry." Jon steps out of the aircraft, observing his surroundings as Damian had taught him. He could see a few spots of heat from inside the building, definitely coming from people. Granted, not that many people. _This should be easy._ Jon listens for any hints of danger next. Just the sounds of people shuffling around and a few handling guns. "About one dozen and a half men, some armed," Jon reports.

He pulled up the building image from Nightwing , looking through the layout. 11 floors and a basement. He motioned for Jon to follow him as they entered the building quietly. Damian's nose crinkled in disgust. "It reeks of cigars." He decided to follow his instinct, going to the heart of the smell, leading them to a small room with a round table with multiple mismatched chairs around it.

 _This is not aesthetically pleasing,_ Jon thinks as they enter the room, his eyebrows drawing together at the sight of the ugly chairs, all different colors and materials. Jon let's Damian lead as always, ready to defend his partner should trouble come. "What exactly are we expecting to see here?" Jon whispers.

He grabs out his birdarang, ready to strike. "Secret entrance, behind that wall. We might be breaking up a drug or trafficking deal." His eyebrows knit behind his domino mask, getting into a ready position. "Listen in on their conversation," He offers. _Jon seems very sluggish, he better step it up._

Jon listens to the men behind the wall carefully.  
"Look, either I get the money or you're gonna have a bad time," comes the gravelly voice of one of the men.  
"Really? _I'm_ gonna have a bad time? Look around ya, buddy. You ain't goin' nowhere."  
"They're just arguing," Jon says. "They don't know we're here."

 

Damian nods, already at the wall, rigging small explosives to it, then going back to Superboy. "Should be enough to startle them, then we get answers." He explains the ambush and then holds up 3 fingers.  
_3, 2, 1_  
BANG BANG  
The explosions blew a hole into the wall, bringing startled men to the ground. "Now!" He yells, charging into the room, fighting off two guards, kicking and slicing with his birdarang.

Superboy is right behind him, punching one of the men through a wall and tossing another right with him. Jon feels something abruptly jab him in the ribs and suddenly he's screaming his heart out, feeling the power of 1,000 volts shake him to his core. All his injuries from earlier that day flared up, and he can't concentrate on anything but the searing pain he's experiencing _everywhere_.

Damian hears a scream from Jon pierce his ears above all of the cursing and shooting. He presses to his ear, opening the coms: "Back up! We need back up! Nightwing? Red Hood? Come in?!" He's desperately yelling, while twisting a man’s arm and flipping him over on his side into another goon. Damian spots the man who hurt Jon and charges full force at him, slashing at his legs and punching him square in the nose. Hopefully the cops should be arriving, but until then he has to get Superboy out of here. More and more men start to block the exit but Robin throws a smoke bomb, knocking them out with swift blows to the head. "J-Superboy?" Damian yells, looking over to the younger.

Jon is on his knees, whimpering and clutching his stomach tightly. He tries to stand, hearing the chaos around him and urgently forcing himself on his two legs. He collapses against the wall, unable to stop the sobs of agony from escaping his throat. _J-just stand up- you can do it! Don't be such a baby._

Robin slides under a weak punch thrown at him and jabs the man's lower back with his katana, seeing a free opportunity to get to Jon. "We are leaving," he states, grabbing Superboy's sleeve and tugging it around Damian's shoulder, letting himself do most of the work of lifting the boy. "Superboy, stay with me, we have to get out-" he grits his teeth knees slightly buckling forward with the added weight, but he then regains himself starting to move faster until they are at the stairs. He shoots his grappling hook up the stairwell and lifts them up to the window they came in through.

As soon as the pain fades in the slightest, Superboy tries to carry his own weight, limping with Robin to the bat jet. He lets Robin lift him into his seat and groans in pain, eyes screwed tightly shut and head tilted upwards slightly. "I'm- I'm s-sorry," Jon manages through clenched teeth and shaky breaths. He can still feel warm tears trickling down his face, but he wipes them away stubbornly, winching when the movement causes the pain in his ribs to flare up.

Damian starts to search for the first aid kit, throwing it into the controls in a frantic hurt. "Stop, you'll make it worse Jon.." He's trying not to panic as he put the jet to autopilot mode, getting them out of there quickly. _Why was Jon sorry? I'm the one who threw him out there knowing he wasn't at 100%.._  
He unzips Jon's jacket and decides to just cut the shirt off of Jon so he can get to the wounds without having Jon move too much. He takes gauze and alcohol and starts to rub as gently as he could at his friend's wounds. There was a lot more brushing than he thought.. No way those bruises formed that dark within the 10 minutes it took them to get out of there. There were so many bruises and little cuts.. "Oh my god, Jon. What happened?" he almost gasps.

Jon could only shake his head, trying to still his hiccups. "I-I'm sorry," he says again, a little more steady this time around. "Please..." Jon trails off, realizing what he almost said. "I'm sorry," Jon repeats, attempting to draw Damian's attention away from his slip up. _I'm always slipping up..._ Jon thinks despairingly.

Fearing for the worse, Damian carefully turns over Jon's bare arms and inspects his ribs. Hopefully nothing was fractured or broken, but there was a nasty bruise to prove otherwise. _What the hell happened to him? Why didn't he say anything?!_  
"Jon," he says, voice overflowing with concern. "Can I look at your back? There might be wounds.." But he mostly just wants to look more at the bruising. Jon looked like he had fallen into a pit of rocks and sticks. Damian finished wrapping the younger's arm and looks at him in the eyes. He looked so sad.. so conflicted.

Jon nods silently, turning over to give Damian easier access to his back. He takes a shaky breath, mentally preparing for the many questions Damian was probably gonna ask him. He sniffles and wipes his face, getting rid of the last of his tears. _This is exactly what I was afraid of. I caused a mission failure and made Damian worried._ Jon glares at the floor of the aircraft, furious at himself for letting this happen.

His hands softly ran over Jon's back, feeling multiple lumps. He had been hit with something, he determined.  
"..Jon--" His voice cracked feeling a flinch come from Jon when Damian went to a deep blue and purple bruise. "--sorry.. if I'm hurting you.. I'm going to clean the last of your wounds and rub muscle cream on you. Is that okay?" His hand brushed away a few sweaty strands of jet black hair from Jon's neck. He fills a ziplock bag he found with cold water from their water bottles and places it over the boy's neck. He could tell Jon was overheated and needed to cool off.  
_I'll ask questions later.. Jon needs my care as of now._

Jon nods again, sighing as Damian presses the cold water to his neck. Some of the tension in his muscles relax, and his glaring tones down to a blank stare. He fiddles with his hands, letting Damian treat his injuries passively.

Damian circles around Jon once he's done patching him up, stopping to look into his eyes. They looked fine. Hurt, sad, nervous but physically fine. "Does your head hurt? Are you nauseous? Do you remember your pet's name?" He asks frantically, remembering that Jon could have a concussion. _I must sound so stupid, my lack of medical knowledge shining bright like the sun._

"A little, no, and Krypto," Jon replies. _He sounds so smart._ Jon can't help thinking fondly, despite the situation. "Don't worry, Damian. I'm fine." He smiles for effect and somewhat succeeds in making it look at least a little sincere.

He sighs, relieved. "We are almost to the manor, where Alfred can help you more than I can," mumbling a little defeatedly, he pads over to his seat, retrieving his water bottle and hands it to Jon. "Drink, and when we get to the manor, drink some more."  
He "doesn't" turn faint pink when their hands slightly touch. He then turns quickly back to the controls.

Jon drinks from the water bottle obediently, turning it in his hands for the remainder of the ride. _I'm gonna tell him the truth,_ Jon decides. _When he asks. He deserves to know..._ Jon's heart speeds up a little at the thought of telling Damian everything, but he steels himself anyways. _I'm the Boy of Steel. I can handle this._

Damian is tapping his foot, anxiety building up in him. _What was Jon keeping from him? What had happened? Why wasn't he notified? Did Jon not trust him?_  
He lands the aircraft and shifts in his seat, contemplating his words.  
"Jon, what _happened_ to you..?" He finds himself saying it a little shortly, but only because he can't take waiting any longer. He figured Jon was okay enough to talk now, and Damian felt he needed to know. His green eyes gaze back over Jon's (still shirtless) body. They land right above his eyes, almost hidden in his wispy hair, a small reddish purple bruise.

"I-" Jon feels his heart leap into his throat. _Crap- this is a lot harder than I thought it'd be._ "Some... kids. I uh, got a little beat up after school today."

 _Did I just hear that?_  
"You -- _what?_ " He feels his blood start to boil and Damian already wants to punch someone. "A-a little?!" He stands abruptly, fists clenched at his sides. _No. No, I hope I heard that wrong._ Jon looked like a damn rainbow. He's been seriously hurt.

Jon flinches despite knowing Damian wouldn't hurt him. He got a little frightening when he was angry, even if it was on his behalf. "There were four of them. I-I couldn't throw them off without my superstrength being revealed." Jon avoids Damian's eyes nervously. "I'm sorry."

His fists unclench, after seeing Jon flinch. _Oh crap.._ he thought, slowly crouching down beside the vulnerable boy. _How could anyone ever hurt Jon? He was funny, kind, caring.._  
"Why are _you_ sorry?" Damian whispers, eyes narrowing but not in a harsh way. He looks up at Jon, silently pleading for the boy to meet his gaze. _4 against 1 was certainly no challenge for Superboy.. but Jon took the beating._ It made Damian sick to his stomach.

Jon was completely sure if he so much as looked up at Damian's face, he'd start bawling. "I didn't do anything. If... if you were there you'd have stood up for yourself. And I screwed up the mission. If I hadn't-" Jon stops talking for a moment, desperately trying to smother his nerves. "I let you down."

Shockingly enough, he figured Jon would say something along those lines. That Jon was at fault for these cruel bastards picking on him. "But Jon.. we're different because.." he began sighing, realizing Jon was not going to look at him. Damian could tell he was fighting back tears so he placed a hand over Jon's, reassuringly. "Heavens only knows what I would have done to those.. jerks. I can't do that. You.. you're humble. You'll take it.. because.. you feel like you have to. I don't think I could do that." He knows his words were probably confusing, but there was a flutter of pride for Jon in his chest.

Jon stares at Damian's and his own hand in shock. Without saying a word, he leans forward and hugs Damian, resting his face on his chest. "Thank you," Jon says tearfully, voice barely above a whisper.

Damian is frozen with surprise, but accepts the hug, but trying not to press on Jon fearing he would hurt him. "I have one more question.. if you don't want to answer that's okay.." he pauses and looks down at the head of messy raven hair under his chin.  
They hurt his Jon.. _not 'my' Jon.._ he reminds himself. They hurt his friend. His partner in crime.  
"Why did they beat you up Jon?"

"They... knew I was, I _am_ , um..." Jon hesitates, though he's not sure why. He trusts Damian with his life. "Queer," he forces out, still hiding his face from Damian's view.

Something in Damian's chest flutters and breaks at the same time. _Jon is being hurt because of who he is.. he must feel so unwanted, different, weird and like a disgrace.. all things he wasn't._  
"Jon-" Damian wants so desperately to hug him tighter, unable to control the affecting seeping out of him. He can't bring anymore words out, they won't come. _Oh no, what do I say? Why can't I say anything?_

Jon let's himself rest in Damian's arms for a moment. _Now there's only one secret between us..._ Jon breathes in sharply, pulling away from the embrace to look Damian in the face for the first time the entire mission. _Little do you know... I have a huge crush on you._

Damian's heart starts to sink deeply when Jon pulls away, feeling ultra guilty. He has to let Jon know that he doesn't deserve that. That he's perfect the way he is, that he's beautiful, that Damian accepts him.  
Suddenly, he has Jon's hand in his own and he's pulling him close and before he can even second guess himself, his lips are on Jon's.  
It's very sloppy, and Damian's nose bumps into the one in front of him. But he slowly grows more passionate and confident in the kiss, pushing up on his tiptoes to better level his lips with Jon's soft pink ones.

Jon makes a sort of gasping sound as Damian's lips crash onto his own, frozen in place for a moment. _What- what the hell is happening?_ Jon doesn't let himself think about it any longer, kissing Damian back before he changed his mind. His arms are still wrapped around Damian's, and his grip tightens slightly as the kiss continues.

A surge of confidence makes Damian wrap an arm around Jon's neck, the other round his slim waist pulling himself closer to Jon. _He needs to know how much he matters. How amazing he is. How wrong those people were for ever hurting him_  
Damian pulls away after a few more long seconds pass, breathing in the shared air between them.  
"Jon.. don't let anyone tell you that you're a.." he chokes on words, not even wanting to speak them. After a few seconds he starts again. "You are Jonathan Kent. You are beautiful. You are brilliant and amazing. You are perfect how you are, I will _never_ let anyone hurt you ever again."

Jon is melting in Damian's arms. There's warmth everywhere and Jon feels all the stress and sadness and pain from the day wash away. Damian pulls away and Jon looks him in the eyes the entire time he's speaking. He feels an uncontrollable giddiness bubble in his chest, and he smiles at Damian when he's done. _I can't believe this is happening._ Jon's head is swimming and he hears himself say, "I love you." And then the warmth is back and Jon's eyes close peacefully.

Damian gives a "Mmph" before nuzzling his neck and kissing him very softly, as if he isn't even kissing him at all. "I love you too. I love everything about you. You're perfect to me. It doesn't matter what anyone else says.." He says softly right below Jon's ear. _Jon shall be mine, and I will protect him from the cruel of this world.._ he tries to keep his mind from thinking about everything he will do to the homophobic creeps who had beaten Jon.

Jon can only smile, cheeks beginning to burn from the overuse of muscles in his face. He squeezes the smaller boy tight, careful not to break any bones. "Just do me a favor. Don't beat 'em up too bad. They don't know what they're doing." Jon grins slightly. "But hell if they're gonna get away with messing with us." 

Damian smirks mischievously, eyes half-lidded. "I wouldn't be surprised if a certain Robin paid them a visit.." A warm grumbling hum forms in his throat, kissing Jon's lips and slightly nibbling on his bottom lip. "But later. He's busy right now." 


	3. Trauma (Bluepulse)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime and Bart both have thoughts to work out after Blue Beetle is taken off mode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jaime  
> SAS as Bart

Bart felt like the weight of the world was off of his shoulders.  
More like the _fate_ of the world.  
When Blue Beetle was put on mode, the speedster almost completely mentally shut down. _This is it,_ he thought. _The end of the world_. But somehow, Zatanna worked her magic-literally- and Jaime was back, Bart's best friend was back, and he was almost overwhelmed with dozens of emotions all at once.  
They were back at base now, everyone noticeably less tense and winding down for bed. But Bart couldn't come off of his adrenaline high, and was stuck to wander the old warehouse.

Jaime couldn't sleep. How could he, with hundreds of thoughts swarming through his mind all at once? He had a massive headache, and the horrible feeling in his gut didn't make him feel any better. The teenage superhero was seated on a couch in one of the small side rooms in the warehouse, hands clasped together and armor still on.  
Khaji Da's voice cut through Jaime's thoughts abruptly. " _You should sleep, Jaime Reyes. It is not healthy for you to be without rest for extended periods of time._ "  
Jaime pointedly ignored the parasite, studying his hands instead. Besides, he didn't want to wake any of his friends replying to the scarab.  
Suddenly, Jaime hears a pair of footsteps from behind him.  
" _The Impulse approaches,"_ Khaji Da informed their host.

The auburn haired teen speed walks his way down the hall, trying to wear himself out, and repeatedly phases through the walls and objects in the base. _Maybe if I get some fresh air I'll feel better,_ he walks through one of the walls into a side room heading for the door that lead to the crisp night air but stops short, halfway to the door, seeing Jaime in full Blue Beetle armor sitting on the couch. In a surprised (not scared, Bart decides) way the younger teen yelps slightly and stumbles backwards, hitting his elbow on a metal support beam. He holds back a loud groan and bites his lip, inhaling sharply.

Jaime stands up abruptly and spins around, the armor peeling off his face and revealing wide, concerned eyes. "Bart!" He rushes forward, hovering around the speedster but not touching him. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

Something inside Bart feels guilty for freaking out so bad, but another part of him was still scared on-edge. He suppresses a shake of his head, the hair falling into his eyes. "I- uh no. You just--I wasn't expecting you to be here. Up. I guess," He responds weakly and rubs his elbow, trying his hardest not to flinch away from Jaime. _What's wrong with me? It's just Jaime!_

"Sorry," Jaime repeats. _I may not have scared him, but I certainly startled him,_ he reasons, noticing how Bart stammered nervously instead of talking in his confident, impulsive way. Jaime stares concerned at Bart's elbow. "Are you okay?" Jaime reaches his hand out towards the younger boy.

Bart steels himself and let's himself know it's okay.. _Blue won't hurt you.. he wouldn't do that.. dontrundontrundontturnawayohgod_  
"I-I'm fine," A good attempt, but boy did it sound fake, even to himself. Bart knows it was probably only a bruise, and would feel better in a little bit. "It doesn't even hurt," His voice starts to sound more stable, like he wasn't about to have a panic attack anymore, which was good.

"Good," Jaime says, touching Bart's elbow gently before letting his hand fall to his side. He wishes he had kept his face armor on so his expression was harder to read, but no turning back now, he supposes. His dark brown eyes study Bart's face passively. _I'm so glad you're not hurt. That your face isn't scared or bruised and that I didn't... kill you._ Jaime can't say it out loud so he settles for an awkward, "Where were you heading?"

"I uh, couldn't sleep. Hyped up on adrenaline still I guess!" He gives a small smile, putting his mask up. Bart points his index finger towards the door. "I was gonna get some fresh air." A small sigh escapes his lips, as he feels himself slowly become less tense. _Jaime wouldn't hurt me. Jaime is my friend.. he cares about me._  
"What were you doing up?" Bart offers, fully curious as to why Jaime _was_ up. He wasn’t even really doing anything, by the looks of it. After all he's been through, you would think he needed to sleep.

"Just... lost in thought." Jaime replies. It's not really a full answer, but there's tension between the two of them and he doesn't want to tell Bart everything yet. Jaime wonders if taking a walk and chatting with the speedster would help relieve some of the tenseness. He hopes so, because he wants to fix everything he did to Bart, including ruining their friendship. "Mind if I join you outside?"

He nods, deciding not to press for more of an answer. Bart may have been the impulsive, touchy speedster who knew no boundaries when it came to personal space, but he understood if Jaime didn't want to talk. He was left staring at the elder's tired, worn face that still had a soft, warm glow to it despite everything that had happened.  
"Yeah! W-well I mean, no I don't mind. I mean.." an audible 'huff' eacapes his lips and a very light, embarrassed pink settles over Bart's now puffed out cheeks.

Jaime feels a tug at the corners of his lips at the sight of Bart's face. He tries to fight it, but a small, amused smile is left on his face. _That is adorable._ "Thanks," Jaime says, sincerely grateful for the company. He gestures to the door. "Shall we?"

Bart gives a small 'yes' and walks in front of Jaime to the door, trying desperately to get the raspberry tint off of his cheeks. _What was he smiling at?_ He wondered, typing in a security code into the lock that would insure no alarms would start to blare once they opened the heavy door.

Jaime lingers behind Bart while he opens the door, following him outside. Not until they're fully outside does he step forward to walk alongside the younger. The moon is bright and curved into a slim crescent shape, casting a low glow on the scene around them. There are a few lights around the warehouse, but other than that it's pretty dark. Jaime trudges along in silence before diving right into the conversation they were probably both thinking about. "Hey, I'm sorry. For uh, hurting.. you.”

Bart's heartbeat noticeably increases when the teen starts to walk closer, so, internally freaking out he lets him do so. _stop getting so worked up nothingsgoingtohappen_ But then he almost gets his wish, heart nearly turning to stone hearing Jaime's apology. _Stop being sorry Blue.. pleassse stop being sorry.._  
"It's okay her-man-o.. it wasn't you, okay?" It came out entirely too sad, when it was _supposed_ to be lighthearted, to break the tension.

"Thanks," Jaime says out of instinct, not really meaning it. He knows it wasn't him. He knows that. Yet somehow, there's still a pit of guilt in his gut. The Reach made him hurt and nearly kill his friends. _They almost killed Bart._ Jaime is suddenly very scared, even though he knows the threat of an alien apocalypse is gone. _I almost killed Bart._ Jaime nearly stops walking, but forces himself to maintain the speed at which Bart was walking. "I almost killed you, Bart." Jaime looks into Bart's sad eyes and feels hopeless.

Suddenly Bart feels slightly motion sick, and stops walking. He feels dark chocolate eyes pour onto his face, studying him, begging him to say something to make it all better. He reaches out his pale peach hand for Jaime's shoulder, lightly giving it a soft squeeze before looking into the teen's intensely gorgeous eyes, not wavering when he says; "That wasn't _you_ Jaime. I don't blame you. This wasn't your fault. And--" his voice drops an octave, becoming slightly quieter, and unsure. "--I already came back here and did what I needed to do. It wouldn't have mattered if I died. This was about saving the world, the future. You."

Jaime feels his stomach churn at Bart's words. "It would've mattered," he says hastily. "I don't think..."Jaime trails off, at a loss for words. "You _are_ the world to me. If you died, I don't know what..." Jaime chokes on his words and stops talking, attempting to calm down. There's stinging in his eyes and suddenly his vision is blurred with tears. He refuses to let them fall.

Bart feels his bottom lip start to quiver, knowing these words were _really_ coming out of Jaime's mouth. He bites down on it and feels a slight copper taste at the front of his tongue. "You.. you can cry Blue, I-I'm not going to judge you or anything," his breathless, tearful laugh is strangled by a hiccup and he's fighting to keep the smile on his face.  
"H-how am I, a scrawny, annoying, weirdo,"  
_Unattractive, stupid, weak._  
He blinks hard, and doesn't open his eyes until he's sure a tear won't fall. "Crazy-as-hell kid like me _your_ world?"

Jaime is angry. He's angry at Kahji Da, he's angry at The Reach, and he's angry at every damn thing that convinced Bart that he was worthless. And most importantly, he's sad. He's sad for Bart. "Don't say those things about yourself," Jaime says fiercely, the tears building up more in his eyes at the sight of Bart tearing up as well. He feels a surge of fury and protection over the speedster, and stares into his face, adorable as ever and still roundish with baby fat. _I love him,_ Jaime admits to himself. Then he says it out loud, because they're already sharing all their secrets so why the hell not. "i love you, that's how." 

The younger teen is awestruck. He literally has no idea what to do, or say, or think. He has heard people say it before. His mom and dad loved him, Barry and Iris loved him, Joan and Jay loved him. But hearing it from this amazing, handsome, sweet as sugar human being made Bart lose it.  
_Hesaidhelovesme_  
Bart whimpers and feels himself choking on sobs, and reaches out for Jaime because he just wants a hug, and he slowly starts to unravel, tears streaming down his face. "Y-y-you d-d-don't.." he wanted to believe him, he really did, but he just couldn't fathom someone like Jaime Reyes _loving and caring_ for Bart Allen. It seemed impossible. "W-wh-" he coughs out a low, strangled cry, voice cracking, and he feels the tightness in his throat only worsen. 

Jaime's heart breaks and beats and implodes all at once. Bart is crying, hard, and reaches out for a hug. Jaime takes him into his arms without a second of hesitation, squeezing firmly. _I'm here, and I will never let you go,_ Jaime thinks, eyes flashing with determination. Jaime let's the bugsuit fall away until he's in his hoodie and jeans, holding Bart tight. Spasms wrack his tiny body as he sobs, and it breaks Jaime's heart. There are tears rolling down his face now too, but he refuses to let out a single sound. “I love you,” he repeats. 

The warmth envelops him and he feels safe, and welcome, and protected and _loved_. Bart clutches his fist into the soft material of Jaime's hoodie, taking into the sweet scents deep within the fabric. He nuzzles his wet nose into the elder's collarbone and continues to let the tears fall down his face, by then the sobs slowly start to dissipate. "Do you really love me?" He doesn't really question the fact that Jaime loves him, it's more of _he wants to hear it again"._

Jaime leans away, taking Bart's face in his hands and looking into his beautiful green eyes. And then he kisses him, gently and awkwardly but passionately all the same. When he pulls away Bart is gaping and Jaime smiles. "Does that answer your question?" 

___The speedster's breath is taken away from him by soft lips against his own, and he finds himself feeling a longing for the touch, now wondering how he had ever lived without it before. Then Jaime pulls away, and Bart's remembers to breathe, but is still dazed and wants more.  
He nods quickly, tears still slightly in his eyes, mouth wide open in awe, and starts to slowly smile, light pink lips turning upwards._ _ _

Jaime sighs, pressing his forehead against Bart's. He feels more at peace already. All the thoughts and questions in his mind died down to a quiet whisper, and his eyelids suddenly feel heavy. He yawns and closes his eyes, breathing in Bart's subtle but sweet scent. _We should cuddle and sleep on that couch together,_ Jaime thinks abruptly. So he forces his tired eyes open and moves his hands from Bart's face to his hands, cupping them gently. "We should sleep," he says, hoping Bart is thinking the same. 

___Bart feels Jaime's head resting on his own, and he sighs blissfully, chest rising and falling contently. _This would never get old,_ he decides and perks his head up, cheeks flushing when the Hispanic teen's hands cup them. Bart suddenly realizes how tired he was and nods obediently, pressing his lips together to hold back a yawn. "Okay," he says voice softly above a whisper. "Can I sleep with you?" He says innocently, long eyelashes sweeping over his emerald irises._ _ _

___Jaime smiles the widest he has in the past crazy month. "Of course." Jaime holds Bart's hand all the way into the warehouse, eyes half-lidded. He lays down on the couch first, back pressed against the cushions, and let's Bart crawl next to him. Jaime hugs him tight, resting his chin on Bart's head, his soft hair tickling his neck. "I love you," Jaime murmurs before closing his eyes._ _ _

___Bart snuggles in close to him, curling into his lap contently. His heart fluttered quickly, and he somewhat giggles, but his sleepy tone drowns it out, so it's a small murmur. "I love you too," Bart's hand blindly finds Jaime's and he interlocks their fingers, closing his heavy eyelids._ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Then Tim finds them the next morning and shows the team the many pictures he took. M'gann puts up a bunch of them on the fridge and doors of the warehouse and Jaime is very flustered but Bart is just amused.


	4. Harassment (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon gets harassed by a few boys at school and Damian is there as always to kick their butts. (Plus Jon getting very devious at the end there)
> 
> Warning: Attempted rape/non-con in the beginning!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Damian  
> SAS as Jon

Jon's foot tapped against the tile floor, bored to _death_ in his geometry class. Thankfully, it was the last class of the day, then he gets to go home. Well, training with Damian, then home--even though the Wayne Manor was practically his second home. Jon spent his afternoons there and even had a guest bedroom for himself, next to Damian's.  
"Jon?" His teacher's voice cut through his thoughts and his head swiveled in her direction. Everyone was leaving, so he hurriedly packed his stuff and started out the door. Strange, he felt eyes on him all the way walking down the hallway to his locker. He puts in the combination, shoving his textbooks and folders into his book bag. He then slams the door shut, and almost gasps seeing a group of 3 guys leaning right beside Jon's locker. He recognized them from his classes but He couldn't remember their names.  
"Hi Jon," said the one closest to Superboy. Jon offers a smile, still a little surprised. "There's going to be a party at my place tonight. You should come, and bring anyone you want." The boy, who is close to Jon, smirks at him, and Jon sighs slightly.  
"I can't actually, I have pre-existing plans. Sorry," Jon starts to walk off but hears footsteps behind him, so he turns his head and the 3 boys are in fact following him.  
"Come on Jonny, it'll be fun." One to the right says. "Kyle even got drinks." He gives a mischievous glance to the guy who had been previously talking to Jon.  
"I'm 15." Jon states, weaving through the crowd hoping to loose them. But there's a slight tug on his backpack and he's pulled backwards. "Aww come on Jon don't be such a _pussy_." Kyle says gripping hard into Jon's shoulder. "Let go of me," Jon says, shrugging himself away, and heads out the front of the school. But as soon as he turns the corner, one of the guys is grabbing his arm and Jon yelps. "Learn to have some _fun_ Jon," He then feels a hand grab his butt and the raven haired teen whips around in total shock. "D-did you just??"

Sometimes when Damian was bored he'd go to watch Jon at school. Not really in a stalker way but just to see how he was doing and if he was okay. If anyone ever picked on him Damian would drop out of the sky and gorge their eyes out of their sockets and maybe break a bone or two.  
Today, Jon definitely was not okay. Damian watched as a group of guys followed him out of the school building. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but Jon looked very uncomfortable which made Damian's blood boil. Then one of them grabbed Jon's arm and butt and Damian swore he saw red.  
He stood up abruptly from his perch on a building close by and shot his grappling hook to a ledge just above the harassers, dropping down beside the group of boys.  
"Get away from him _right now_ before I kill you," Damian says, eyes blazing and feet spread in a fighting stance.

Jon, still in shock, was trying to tear himself away from the boy's grasp, until he hears the familiar -- _very_ pissed off -- voice of Damian Wayne, in full Robin attire.  
"Who the _hell_ are you?" Kyle spits, regaining grip on Jon and giving him a hard squeeze to the arm, to which the teenager whines and grits his teeth to keep from crying out. "And he doesn't belong to you, so _fuck off_!" One of the other guys grab Superboy's other arm, who was struggling and desperate for his body to be released from their grasp, and he was probably bruising now.

As soon as Kyle stops talking(thank God), Damian punches him in the face and solar plexus, knocking all the air in his lungs out. He swipes his leg under the other boy, watching in satisfaction as he falls backward onto the cement, letting go of Jon in the process. Damian yanks Kyle's hand behind his back and slams him into the ground, placing his foot in between his shoulder blades and pressing down hard with his heel.  
"People like you shouldn't be allowed to walk on this earth," Damian growls into his ear, pulling on his arm until there's an audible pop.

Jon is a little forcibly thrown from Kyle as he falls and hits the wall beside them hard, a small 'oof' escaping his lungs.  
After a couple seconds, Jon can see Damian on top of Kyle, and Jon could tell even without using his x-ray vision on the domino, that something murderous flashed in the eyes of Robin. _Oh shit Damian, don't hurt him too bad_  
Jon regains himself until his arm is snagged by one of those greasy jerks and he's being pulled, and Jon is yelling and kicking the whole time. _Okay, he's asking for it._  
Jon punches with his left hand into the boy's cheek and with his superheating he tells something in the boy's jaw shifted, so he stops and only kicks the boy down. "Creep.."

Damian let's go of Kyle's arm as he screams, lips curled into a snarl. "Never touch him- or anyone for that matter- again. You hear me?" Kyle seems to be in too much pain to answer, but Damian punches him in the face anyways. "You _hear_ me?"  
"Y-yes," he answers, terrified.  
"Good. Now fuck off before I get tired of your face and rip it off your head..." Damian steps off the kid and he blindly runs as fast as he can away from the furious boy. The other kid Damian tripped earlier had fallen on his head and was knocked out cold.  
Damian turns to Jon, who has the last boy on the ground. He strides over and kicks him, sending him a few feet backwards. He scrambles to his feet and books it as well. Damian snorts, watching him go with his nose wrinkled in disgust.  
"Are you okay, Jon?" Damian asks, turning to the younger boy.

Jon was traumatized. He really was, he felt violated and vulnerable and exposed, he felt terrible. Endless amounts of showers wouldn't wash away the feeling of dirtiness and disgust these boys made him feel. _What if Damian hadn't shown up? What would have they done to me if-_  
Ignoring Damian's question for the moment, Jon starts to run off a bit and he hunches over on himself and vomits right there. The stinging bile in the back of his throats made it hard to breath, and if that wasn't enough, he could feel himself starting to cry, tears starting to pool over his eyes, and they fall onto the ground over top of Jon's lunch.

Damian's eyes widen as Jon throws up and begins to cry. He swiftly reaches into one of his utility pockets and pulls out a handkerchief, crouching down to gently wipe the vomit from his chin and nose. Damian let's Jon cry, sitting beside him awkwardly. _Shit, what do I do now? Is there something you're supposed to do when someone is crying like this?_

"I-I-I'm sorry, I should have done som-somethin n s-stood up for myself.." Jon's voice comes out choked and ugly sounding, but he knows Damian won't care. He knows Damian wouldn't laugh. He gulps hard, trying to will the burn in his throat away. The Boy of Steel wipes his eyes, leaving little wet tear stains on his sleeve.

Damian frowns, staring at Jon with concern and a bit of confusion. "Don't be," he says, tucking his handkerchief away. "I guess that's what I'm here for, huh? Defending your gentle ass when people bug you..." It's meant to be a joke, but Damian trails off nervously. He hopes Jon doesn't take it the wrong way.

 _'Your gentle ass'?_ Jon gives a laugh, but it's cut short by a few dry coughs and he presses his lips together to try to quiet himself. Once he stops coughing he tries again, quieter this time. "Defending me," He agrees. _There's just something about the way he said it.. so kindly.. that I like. That he'll always protect me._ And Jon feels that feeling you get in your stomach when you see a really cute puppy and does that mean he's going to throw up again?  
"Thank you D--Robin," he corrects himself quickly.

"It's no problem," Damian says with a smile. Or a smirk. _Godammit I hope that looks like an actual smile this time and not a shit-eating grin._ He holds out a hand to Jon, standing up.

Jon almost flushes pink under Damian's mischievous looking smile, and takes the older's gloved hand into his. Once he's up, he smoothly slings his arm over Damian's broad shoulders and innocently looks at him. "Could you help me walk? I still kinda feel.. sick." Jon musters the most groggy voice he could-- it wasn't a lie exactly. He did still slightly feel sick to his stomach, and he's sure he couldn't exactly move around the best. But he mostly just wanted Damian's support. Jon did feel a tad guilty for that, knowing he was fully capable of walking on his own but wanting Robin to help him.

Damian freezes for a moment at the sudden closeness of the situation, but slowly wraps his arm around Jon's waist. "Of course," he manages. _Maybe I should-_ Damian sweeps Jon off the ground and holds him bridal style.

The younger feels his feet being taken out from under them and he instinctively wraps his other arm around Damian, with a small gasp of shock. _Oh, so this must have been how Dami felt when I did that to him-Well, maybe not the same what I feel right now._  
Jon can feel that familiar burst of warmth in his stomach, but he's completely sure he's not going to puke, but instead a giggle is sent up his throat from deep within him. His eyes widen and he slaps a hand across his mouth, face red with embarrassment.

Damian gives Jon an amused look when the giggle escapes his mouth. _That was cute._ "Where do you need to go?"

Jon thinks for a moment then says "I dunno," almost shyly, arms still wrapped tightly around Damian's neck and shoulders.  
Avoiding Robin's gaze, he answers with a hushed, "We can still go train at the Cave?" Knowing no one would be listening to them, but you could still never be too cautious.

"Yes," comes Damian's simple answer. He carries Jon to a more private area, then puts him down for a moment (although still with his arm around his waist) to call Alfred. "He'll be here in 20 minutes," Robin informs Jon, tucking the phone away. _Now we've got 20 minutes to kill._

He nods, getting giddy with anticipation. "Sounds good," Jon almost wishes they had more time. He needs a solid 5 minutes to contemplate his life choices, and 3 more to figure out what he should do. That only leaves 12 minutes to act.  
_Should I make the first move? What would I do? Kiss him? I'm a pretty bad kisser--_  
Then Jon sighs, a realization hitting him. He doesn't even know if Damian feels the same way about him. For all Jon knew, he was just some Kid Brother to Damian..

"Jon?" Damian says quietly. "If anyone tries something like that again, please tell me. It is my duty as a leader and your partner to make sure you are at your top physical and emotional condition." _Right. Top condition. Nice excuse._

Something in Jon's heart sinks down low, and the small smile that was held at the corners of his lips dropped. _He was doing this because he has to. Because you'll always be partners. I'm so stupid! Well, at least I didn't kiss him._ Jon must have been reading Damian all wrong, and now the boy was very confused.  
"I will.. hopefully there won't be a next time.." He says quietly, withdrawing his arm from around Damian, taking a few steps then sits himself on the ground, drawing his knees up to his chest.

Damian watches as Jon's expression falls and he withdraws from him, bewildered. He looks so crestfallen Damian goes the extra mile to sit beside him, placing a hand over Jon's gently. "Did I... Say something wrong?" Damian frowns. "I'm sorry."

 _No it's just I'm confused as to if you like me or not and I'm too pussy to say anything_ "N-no!" Jon assures him, trying desperately not to stare at Damian's hand over his. _Great okay now he's back with the touchy-ness. What's going on?!_ The boy internally sighs. "I'm- im uh," he searches for an excuse of some sort. "I'm a little shooken up still?" He begins, still not daring to look up at the teen beside him. "I- I just.. why did they do that Dami? They were gonna.. they would have.. oh _god_ Dami what were they going to _do_ to me?" His voice cracks but he doesn't think he has tears left to cry.

Damian feels a surge of relief knowing that he was not the cause of Jon's distress. His relief is short lived, however, and soon gives way to anger. "Some people are just douchebags," Damian says, a fire in his soul. He takes Jon's face in his hands and looks him in the eyes. "I will never let anyone do that to you. Okay?"

Jon's heart starts beating really, really fast, feeling heat from Damian's hands and igniting thousands of sparks in his stomach. "Ohkayy," Jon says staring into Damian's damn beautiful eyes, his smile returning to his lips. "You really care about me, huh?" Jon blinks his long, dark lashes over his crystal blue eyes few times _trying ever so desperately_ to make himself more attractive. _That was so clichè. Really?? Batting of the eyelashes? I really am going to die alone._

Damian blinks, realizing how close their faces are, and subsequently blushes lightly. "More than you think." He notices Jon's eyelids flutter up and down a few times, drawing his attention to his long eyelashes. _...Is he doing that on purpose? Diabolical._

 _Would I be a bad person if I teased him?_ He ponders on the thought for a moment. _He must be teasing me too.._  
Jon scoots his body closer to Damian's not taking his determined eyes off of the pair in front of him. _Two can play at that game._ Jon bites his bottom lip slightly and squinted his eyes a smidge. "Really?" He says not hints of any sort of deviousness to his tone; only an innocent question. Drawing this out as long as possible would be hard. But if he controls himself, and all goes to plan, he'll have Damian asking.. pleading for kisses.

Damian's brain shuts down as Jon leans closer, their faces now centimeters apart. He barely registers the younger's question, responding a few seconds late. "Y-yes." It's a stupid answer, but Damian doesn't- _can't_ \- care with Jon so close.

With his eyes half-lidded, he can hear a car about 20 seconds out. _Alright Jonny, you can do it. Tease him good._ He thinks, encouraging himself, as he sloooowly brings his face closer to Damian's, tilting his head so he's coming in slightly from the side, and stops literally right before their lips touch, noses brushing together. "I think Alfred is here," Jon whispers lowly, and pulls away abruptly, standing just as the car came into view. "Maybe later~" Jon glances over at a bewildered Damian.

Damian's eyes flicker from Jon's eyes to his lips as he leans closer and closer, transfixed by his intense stare. Suddenly he pulls away, and overwhelming disappointment leaves Damian breathless as Jon stands up and makes a remark about Alfred arriving. Damian can't move for a solid few seconds, unsure if this was some cruel prank the universe was playing on him. _What did I do to deserve this,_ he finds himself thinking as he forces himself on his two feet, feeling dizzy. _'Maybe later...'_ Damian was going to get his turn later, that was for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Damian's not the cockblocker for once? Huh.


	5. Harassment Part 2 (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title: Training Session
> 
> Warning: Sexy times ahead (don't worry no penetration happens but still)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Damian  
> SASas Jon

_The whole ride back to the manor must have been agony for Damian._ Jon thought, smirking to himself. Some part of his mind wondered who this new Devious Jon was and what he did with the shy, innocent Jon.  
Jon's mind thinks back to only a few minutes ago, his lips brushed against Damian Wayne's, a feeling of strange satisfaction flooding over him pulled away, with only two words: "Maybe later~" And then stood, striding to the car and got in.  
Now they were pulling into the manor, and Jon can feel Damian's green eyes following his every move as he slowly started to unbuckle his seatbelt.

Damian forces himself to get out of the car at the same pace as Jon, studying every movement and gesture. He only looks away for a moment to thank Alfred politely, and then his gaze is locked back onto Superboy. They walk in silence to a more private place, sexual tension thick in the air.

Jon was practically humming to himself, walking down the long hallway, not even bothering looking over his shoulder to make sure Damian was following him. Jon knew _exactly_ what he was doing when he stopped at the door, only taking a second to meet the elder's lust-struck gaze. _God he looks hot.._ He broke the eye contact not even a second later, opening the door to Damian's room, and he let himself right in without a single word.

Damian follows, closing the door gently behind him and turning back to Superboy. Not a second later and Damian is on him, desperate for _some_ form of contact and trying to chase Jon's soft pink lips.

Jon can't hold back his gasp, as they stumble back into the bed. But he isn't done teasing, and only gives Damian closed-mouth kisses and small pecks on the cheek. "Eager?" The younger smirks a shit-eating-grin, opening his eyes, letting them gaze upon the desperate boy in front of him.

Damian growls, eyes flashing. He decides not to respond, instead bringing Jon's hands above his head and holding them in place as he tries to get any reaction from him. Damian let's out a noise of frustration when nothing works, and sits back on Jon's torso, straddling it.

Jon lowers himself onto the mattress, propping himself up with his elbows, looking up very pleased with the little sounds of frustration coming from Damian. His sky blue eyes rise up mischievously, and Jon licks his lips. He slowly, ever so slightly rolls his hips upwards.

Damian gasps as a sudden pressure is pushed directly onto his crotch. "Fuck-" he curses, steeling himself by propping both hands beside Jon's face. He lowers himself slowly, pressing another kiss onto Jon's lips and rolling his hips downwards to meet Jon's.

A low, throaty groan presses out of his mouth as he chases for the soft lips, lusting for their touch. Jon can't contain himself anymore, and he sits up so Damian's long legs are wrapped over his waist, and his butt in Jon's lap. He's hands find Damian's hips and his thumbs rub soothing circles into the fabric-- _goddamn that fabric_ , Jon thinks, growling a bit.

Damian parts his lips and flicks his tongue forward, into Jon's mouth. He can feel Jon getting sloppy and desperate, and he grins into the kiss, pleased by the turn of events. Damian tugs on Jon's shirt, a silent signal for him to take it off.

Jon almost chokes on the whimpers coming from himself, but obediently removes his hands from Damian's hips, bringing his shirt up and over his head, and shake back and forth, attempting to get the dar strands out of his eyes. "C'mon.." Jon cranes his neck upward, _needing_ the boy's mouth back on his.

Damian leans back cruelly, looking way too pleased with himself. "Ah ah ah," he teases, pressing Jon away firmly and gesturing to his pants. "Don't forget those." He scoots back, off Jon's lap, to give him room to discard the clothing.

His whimper is audible this time as he's pushed back and he glances down at his now empty lap, and obediently reaches for the zipper, pulling down slowly and tugging on the side of the jeans until they come down past his crotch, and Jon seems to 'give up', looking back up at a very smug Damian. _Pull my pants off, Dami_ He can't even form the words, just a low grumble of his voice.

Damian sighs like a disappointed mother and reaches forward to pull the rest of Jon's jeans off him. Only when they're tossed to the floor does Damian accept more of Jon's advances, crawling back into his(now mostly bare) lap and tugging on his long black hair as he's kissed.

As Jon kisses Damian's soft wet lips, he resumes rolling his hips up, softly groaning into the boy's mouth, fantasizing the elder taking his clothes off for Jon, but he'll let Damian stay in control right now, because it's not like he was complaining: soft hands running through his hair, soft tugs steel him as he sucks on Damian's bottom lip.

Damian tries to match the pace at which Jon is moving his hips, thrusting down when he pushes up to maximize the stimuli. When he feels his pants getting tight, Damian pulls his hips back and away from Jon's. He pushes the younger back down onto the bed and shuffles backwards until his face is right by Jon's crotch. Damian looks up at Jon, eyes sparkling as he presses his tongue into the fabric of his boxers.

Jon's back arches, moaning quietly. "F-fuck Damian.." His eyes follow down to where the boy's pretty little face was buried in his midsection. If he wasn't aroused before, he sure as _hell_ was now, and his nails dug into the sheets, anticipating what's to come next.

Damian revels in the noises coming out of Jon's mouth, tugging down his boxers slowly and revealing his hard-on. Damian swipes his tongue over his lips before planting little kisses along the shaft and rubbing the base with one hand, the other gripping Jon's waist.

Pleasure-filled gasps fill the air, as Jon's heartbeat picks up some at the contact. His hands find their way to Damian's hair, happily stroking the dark strands, as Jon bit down on his lip almost hard enough to break the skin. "Nnngh" The strangled sound leaves his lips heavy with arousal, and his eyelids flutter closed, already imagining Damian's soft pretty lips wrapped around his length, and makes himself hum.

Damian trails his kisses upwards, reaching the tip already leaking with precum. He flicks his tongue out, tasting the bitter liquid for the first time. _Its bearable_ , he concludes, enveloping Jon's length with his mouth slowly, as to keep himself from choking.

Jon uses every ounce of willpower in him not to thrust just hips forward, so instead keeps a steady pace with Damian's _insanely_ slow bobs of his head. _Thats hot,_ he decides, concluding that the slow pace let him bask more in the heat of the moment. "O-oh s-sh-shit!" He says breathlessly, chest heaving, feeling Damian start to deep-throat. "D-don't choke.." he teases, flashing a grin, eyes still closed.

Damian takes steady breaths through his nose, focusing on pleasuring Jon. With every bob of his head, Damian swirls his tongue at the tip before hollowing his cheeks the rest of the way down. He hums softly, sending vibrations up Jon's length.

Taking a few shaky breaths, Jon opens his eyes a little to watch Damian's head move up and down. It was probably the hottest thing he's ever seen. _Holy shit he acts like he's done this before._  
But while Jon was practically naked, Damian was still fully clothed in his Robin uniform, with the exceptions of his gloves, mask, cape and boots. As much as Jon wanted to see the Robin get undressed, something was strangely sexy about it. Then, Damian starts to hum, sending waves of pleasure to every inch of Jon's body and he snatches a pillow from behind him shoving his face into the fabric to muffle his moan.

As Jon unravels before Damian, he feels his member throbbing almost painfully in between his legs. He grinds down on the mattress subtly, confident Jon wouldn't see him with his face stuffed into a pillow and all. When Damian see's Jon's legs begin to quiver, he removes himself from his cock, a bit of dribble running down his chin. He licks it away and tugs down his pants hastily, breath coming out in low pants. He fishes out his own length, and it pops out fully erect. Damian hovers over Jon, contemplating his next move.

Jon was still breathing heavily into the pillow, not daring to toss it until he could regain himself again. He was _painfully_ close, but Damian pulled off and he made an irritated groan, still muffled by the cushion. He finally removes his sweaty face from the fabric, hair damply sticking to his forehead, and nearly gasps at the sight of Damian with his own boner in hand. Jon sits up a bit, staring at Damian eyes half barely open. He takes the elder by the hips, sitting him between Jon's trembling thighs.

"What do you want me to do?" Damian asks, voice low and husky. It was a genuine question he wanted an answer to, but it was very easy to make it sound lewd and sexy. His green eyes flicker up to Jon's blue ones and he grins predatorily for extra effect.

Jon sucks in a breath of air, eyes filled with lust. "I uh.. I want us to jack each other off, and I want you to kiss me hard," He says very quickly, voice hushed and unsure. _Maybe that was too blunt.._ Jon looks up at those green eyes that always seemed to take his breath away, and he planted a small kiss on Damian's cheek.

Damian doesn't need to be told twice, reaching for Jon's length and pressing a hot kiss onto his lips. He flicks his wrist expertly, touching all the spots he'd learned felt good when he got himself off alone in this very room. The thought made his mind swim with arousal.

Forgetting how to function for a minute, Jon let's Damian's tongue explore his mouth and he gives a throaty moan in appraisal. His hips are rocking with the pace of the Damian's hand, and he reaches for the other's member, running his thumb over the top and moving his wrist up and down to the base. _Damn, he's big._ With his own thoughts giving him more confidence, Jon reaches with his free hand to grasp onto the other boy's butt, pulling them flush together.

Damian groans into the kiss as Jon begins to stroke him as well, eyes fluttering shut. He feel's Jon's hand on his butt, closing the small amount of distance between them. Jon rubs Damian's tip and his back arches, pleasure shooting up his spine, "Jon!" he gasps, breaking the kiss briefly to throw his head back, panting. He speeds up the pace on his own jerking, the familiar feelings of release beginning to form in his abdomen.

Jon's now red lips are practically dripping with pleasure as he chases after Damian, planting wet kisses on his neck, sucking lightly. "R'so fucking hot," He whispers lowly right below the other's ear. He know's Damian's close, and Jon is to, but he slows his hand down, giving long, hard, drawn out strokes the boy's length. Jon's hips buck forward when Damian speeds up the pace and he moans lowly, breaths coming in and out short and quick.

Damian has his hands in Jon's hair, tugging gently as he sucks and kisses his neck. His lips are parted as he gasps shakily into Jon's ear. "Ngh-! I'm close!" Damian jerks stutter as he releases into Jon's hand, moaning and pressing his hips forward to ride out the intense orgasm. "Ugh, fuck, Jon," he groans softly, the waves of pleasure dissipating.

Jon digs his nose into Damian's neck, breathing heavily as his vision starts to blur and a sudden warmth bursts through his entire body and he was sure he cried out the boy's name. He brought his body forward and tugged Damian closer to himself as he came. "Dami-- f-f-fuck!" Jon's voice went low and raspy, gasping for air. He opened his eyelids kept fluttering, not sure if they wanted to stay closed or open. Jon hums and plants more kisses on the precious tan skin. "Oh my _God_ ," He manages, finally regaining his bearings but still panting madly.

Damian collapses onto Jon, relaxing into the steady patterns of his breathing and heartbeat. He sighs and tilts his head so he can kiss Jon's jaw. "Where did that come from?" he asks breathlessly.

He wraps his arms around Damian protectively, and shrugs, letting out a small laugh. "Dunno.. you just.. turn me on I guess?" Jon nervously chuckles and presses kisses into Damian's hair taking in his earthy scent. The teen happily sighs adding, "aaand the tension was getting too much for me. It’s been months now.." He quietly tangled his long legs with Damian's.

"Hmm," Damian hums, hugging Jon close as well. "Well, I think that would qualify as a training session, don't you? It certainly was as exerting as one..." He pushes Jon back onto the mattress so they're lying down, still a tangle of limbs. "In fact, I think I could go for a nap..."

Jon smiles sweetly, and maneuvers them slightly so they're under the thin sheets (granted that Jon is still naked and so is Damian from the waist down and it would _suck_ if they were walked in on) "Yeah, that was some training," He muses, snuggling close to him. _This is us now.. this is really happening.. I'm with Damian Wayne..!_

Damian is sure he's dreaming. His head is intoxicated with Jon's scent and all around him is Jon's soft skin. And when he opens his eyes, Jon's are right there to greet him. _If this is a dream, I never want to wake up,_ Damian decides, dozing off peacefully, enveloped in Jon's warmth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tim finds them sleeping together, screams, and runs to tell Bruce.


	6. Sick Day (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon tries to hide his fever from Damian. Spoiler alert: he fails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Damian  
> SAS as Jon
> 
> Sorry for the long wait with this one! Catchy was away for a week for vacation and school started, so updates will happen a lot more sporadically. We already finished the next one and just need to start editing it. In the mean time, enjoy!

Jon feels terrible.  
For a multitude of reasons, actually.  
Jon's had a splitting headache all day and he can't really figure out if he's hot or cold. It's weird, he thinks, because he was freezing in gym class today but burning up in science? At lunch the very sight of food made him want to puke which started to concern him. He _never_ skips lunch! And when he Jon went home that day after school, he was up almost half the night tossing and turning. He couldn't figure it out! Jon thought he was dehydrated or something, so he kept a waterbottle with him the next day at school but he still felt like crap.  
And now he feels bad because Damian was already on his way to the farm to pick Superboy up to a patrol, even though his stomach feels like it going to launch out of him at this very moment. But he wasn't about to let Robin come all this way only to hear his partner in crime say "I'm sick, I'm taking the night off." Because Jon _knew_ Robin would reply with a stern; "Crime never takes a night off, suck it up buttercup." And they would be off to protect the streets from said crime.

Damian had arrived at Jon's house precisely on time and knocked on the door. As soon as he saw Jon he knew something was off. His eyes looked tired and droopy, and his nose was unusually red. _Is he sick? Can Kryptonians even get sick?_  
Damian decides to ignore it. If Jon could be bothered to get fully dressed in his uniform and greet him, he could perform a simple patrol. "I hope you're ready, Kent. We've got a long night ahead of us, as usual."

"Always ready!" He tried to hide the slight rasp on his voice by perking up and offering a smile to the boy in front of him.  
Jon waves goodbye to his mother who was looking mighty unimpressed because she too knew something was wrong. But with her husband being Superman and all, she knew that duty calls and the _least_ she could do was leave some cough drops and a few Tylenol for her superhero son. Jon had great fully took a handful before Damian had gotten here and shoved them into one of the pockets on his suit. When Robin turns around to head to his motorcycle, Jon pops a watermelon flavored one into his mouth, relieved by how it lessened the itch at the back of his throat.

Damian swings a leg over the seat and puts on his helmet, a big yellow R posted proudly on the front. He takes Jon's helmet (a large S on the front) and hands it to the younger.

Jon hops on behind the elder while taking the helmet and slipping it on over his dark shaggy hair. "I still can't believe you got me my own helmet Dami," Superboy says with a chuckle, scooting closer as he wraps one arm around the boy's waist for support.

"Don't flatter yourself, Kent. I only did it because we're partners, and Robin's partner needs his own helmet." Damian revs the motorcycle and takes off, heading down the lonely country road to Gotham City.

He hums in amusement thinking to himself how 1: Jon was invulnerable, 2: Damian wouldn't have bought it if he didn't care and if it was "only because they were partners" but Jon decides not to press further. He does somewhat wish he could have the helmet off because his nose was already stuffy and this wasn't helping.

Damian turns abruptly from a major street into one of Gotham's many alleyways and parks the motorcycle. He takes Jon's helmet as well as his own and tucks them safely in the storage compartment in the back.  
"Computer, return home," he commands, and just like that the vehicle forms a hologram rider, backs out of the alley, and heads to the bat cave.  
Without pausing for a beat, Robin fixes his glove cuffs and shoots his grappling hook over the rooftops.

Superboy leaps off the ground and flies up the building beside his partner while fixing his atrocious helmet hair. "So, where to tonight? Anyone break out of the Asylum today?" He asks very nonchalantly, well aware that that could be the case. This is Gotham after all, but he wasn't nearly as nervous being in the city as when he first came here. Especially since he has Damian to guide him.

"Not today," Damian replies. "But there have been reports of plant growth spreading rapidly from the sewers. I expect Poison Ivy to be behind it."

 _Poison Ivy.. doesn't she have a friend? What's her name.._ He gingerly lands on the rooftop and takes a few steps. His head was pounding and he was almost done with the cough drop in his mouth so it was hard to think. "Haily?? Oh wait no, _Harley_. That's it. What about her? Don't they usually work together?" Jon turns back to look at Robin and he feels the tickle at the back of his throat worsen. _Dont cough don't cough._

"Yes, they do usually work together. No one has seen Harley but we must assume the worst in every situation..." Damian peers over the edge of a roof, spotting the main entrance to the Gotham sewer system. He drops down, pops open the lid, and jumps in, hitting the ground with a splash.

With a nod, he follows right behind Robin underground to the horrid stench of the sewers. Taking a few steps, he scans the area, vaguely aware that his nose was running. He brings his sleeve up and wipes at it miserably and continues walking on. "No one is in here, but those plants are giving off some sort of heat. Weird. There's some blocking off the tunnel up on the left." He reports with a somewhat strained voice (like how you talk when your nose is plugged. His basically was.) feeling suddenly very warm and sweaty even though he hadn't even done anything yet, and before that he was freezing from his fever. "Are you hot Rob?"

Robin notices Jon's strained voice but assumes it's due to the revolting smell of sewage. _At least he's not complaining._ "Yes, I am feeling a little warm. Hm..." Robin pauses to consider their options for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "What do you say we 'poke it with a stick'?" he suggests, gesturing to the blocked tunnel and drawing his sword.

"I would laugh, but I think you're serious." Nevertheless, Jon gives a slight chuckle and waves a hand to the plants. "Well, go ahead.. but if that thing sprays something, it's your fault."

Damian grins and runs at the thick vines, slashing through them easily. They fall to the ground, liquid oozing out of them; other than that there seemed to be no immediate effect.

Jon goes to sigh with relief but sneezes harshly, ice coating the ground below them. His eyes widen and he gasps, not really knowing that would happen. "Shoot."

Damian turns around abruptly, staring at the newly formed ice spikes sticking out from the ground. "...Did you just sneeze?"

As soon as he opens his mouth to answer another sneeze starts, and he sneezes 4 times in a row and after he was done he had a sort of confused look on his face, wondering if there was more to come. He brought his sleeve up once again to wipe his nose--which was red and freezing cold-- and sniffled a bit.

Damian's eyebrows are knitted together now. "Do I need to send you home?"

"N-no--" he winces, voice mostly giving out mid sentence.

Damian strides forward until he's face to face with Superboy and removes his glove, firmly pressing the back of his hand against his forehead. "You feel _very_ warm, Jon." Robin retracts his hand, slipping on his glove, and studies his partner's face. He looks tired and... mostly miserable, really. He frowns at the sight.

For the moment of contact, Jon eases into the relaxing hand that was cool and comforting. As much as he just wants to flop on a couch and try to rest, he can't when there's a threat looming over Gotham. "It's my duty-- _our_ duty--to stop the crime, and crime doesn't take sick days." he turns away abruptly to cough, growling afterwards because that _wasn't_ helping his case at all. "Kryptonians don't get sick." _Right?_ "It's nothing."

"Maybe. But you're half human, and humans _definitely_ get sick." Damian's concern only grows when Jon has to stop talking for a moment to cough. Still, he can't help but feel proud of the young Superboy for wanting to stick it out and finish the job.

He slightly sticks his bottom lip out in a pout and frowns. "So what? Tons of kids still go to school sick! ‘Cause they have to.. annnnd now that I think about it, that _may_ be the reason I got sick.." he cups a hand around his chin and recalls back to hearing that a bug was going around, but Jon didn't think anything of it because he didn't think he _could_ get sick. _I mean, it makes sense.._ "But whatever right? I don't want you going against Harley and Ivy alone! I won't let you." Jon thoughtfully places a hand on his friend's shoulder, assuring him that he'll keep to his word.

"Hm." Damian stares at Jon a little longer, calculating his options. After determining Superboy looked much too ill to contribute to the mission in any way, Robin picks him up bridal style and begins walking back the way they came. "I'll just call Nightwing. He's always free."

A slight gasp leaves Jon's lips and he furrows his brows in frustration. "No Dami--Robin! Ugh, put me down! We're gonna finish the mission and i-i-i- _ACHOO!_ " he gives way to a (embarrassingly) high pitched sneeze and covers his mouth, blue eyes wide. "Ughh thith thucks.." he says through his red, stuffy nose which he buries into the front of Robin's cape to regain warmth.

Damian chuckles, setting Jon down gently once they reach the exit so he could climb the ladder. He sends a quick text to Nightwing and presses another button to summon the motorcycle again, tucking the device away into a utility pouch.  
"C'mon," Damian says once they're both above ground. He gets out their helmets and hops onto the vehicle. "I can take you to the Bat Cave's infirmary."

Jon slightly rolls his eyes but reluctantly puts his helmet back on and slides in right behind Damian, wrapping both arms around him and leaning his head on the teen's back. "Mmhm mkay.." he grumbles coarsely, black lashes fluttering, threatening to close. _Just stay awake a bit longer.. don't make this harder on Damian._

Once they reach the Bat Cave a few minutes later, Damian scoops Jon up and carries him to the infirmary, careful not to jostle him around too much. He lays him down on a couch and searches the cabinets for some medicine. He hands Jon a box of Advil, Kleenex, and takes his temperature while he's blowing away into the tissue. "103 degrees Fahrenheit," Damian reports, almost impressed. "How did you get through school like this?"

"I'm tougher than you think," Jon forces out with a sniffle, taking the tissues and using about 10 of them in less than 30 seconds. "Could you get me a glass of water Dami?" It comes out as a strained whisper and it hurts to even say the few words but he gives a small smile. _It's nice to know he cares this much.._

"Apparently," Damian replies, setting the thermometer down on a side table. Damian runs off to the kitchen and comes back with a cold glass of water, handing the drink to Jon while he sits down next to him.

Fumbling for a few seconds with the cap to the Advil bottle, he shakes out two of the small circular pills and downs them with his water, wincing as the cool water feels like it pierces the back of his burning throat. It feels good for about a second but then the uncomfortable feeling returns and he chugs the rest of his water but gains no relief. "Like I said earlier, this _sucks_."

Damian's neutral expression doesn't change, but he does take off his domino mask and cape, setting them down beside him. "Need anything else? Food? Sleep?"

"I think sleep would be good.. but'm a little cold..and my whole body hurts..." Even after closing his eyes and relaxing, his muscles ached with what he assumed was his body fighting off the virus or bacteria or whatever was making him feel this way. Jon scoots closer to Damian, wanting to feel the elders warmth and soothing touch again. "Can you.." and even with his fever, he tried to pinpoint what words to say that wouldn't make this awkward. "C-can I.. lay with you?? I don't want to get you sick, so it's okay if you say no."

Damian considers this. It wasn't so much getting sick that he was worried about, but the intimate contact with Jon. Wasn't sleeping together something couples did? _I suppose we_ are _partners in crime..._ And Jon's large, tired eyes would be impossible to say no to anyways. "Sure," Damian says simply, standing and carrying Jon to his room. He lays him down gently, peeling off his tunic and boots and crawling in beside the other under the cool, silky sheets.

"Your bed is comfy.." Jon thinks out loud drawing his legs up near his chest , curling into a slight ball after he had been set on the bed. Jon never knew Damian could be so.. _gentle_.. it made him smile at the thought, but he couldn't quite place why..?

Damian's gaze sweeps over Jon, studying his messy hair and half-lidded eyes. He feels tired all of the sudden, despite being fully alert before. Perhaps Jon's weariness was rubbing off on him.

"Sorry for ruining the mission," Jon's eyes lift up to green ones that appeared to be somewhat antialiasing his. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." He smiles sweetly, truly grateful for the care he'd received from his usually stern partner.

"I'll still make it up to you though.. we can go to the movies or lunch or dinner.. we can go kick some villain butt.. whatever you wanna do, batboy." He whispers, closing his eyes and 'subconsciously' reaches his arms up from where they were curled on his chest to Damian's. _He's the best. Dunno what I would do without him._

Damian hums thoughtfully, face heating up a little when he feels Jon's hands rest themselves on his chest. "If you insist." He shuffles closer hesitantly, slowly wrapping an arm around him.

Jon opens an eye to find _how close_ he and Damian were. He felt himself warm up, mostly in his face and stomach but wasn't sure if it was just him or the firm yet comforting arm around his back. _Oh gosh, this fever must be getting bad_ the boy thought worryingly. (How oblivious) So Jon, not wanting to be breathing right into Damian's face--because he _was_ still trying his best not to get the elder sick-- shuffles slightly and wedges his head under the teen's chin. Closer than ever.

Damian feels overwhelming warmth _everywhere_ , and as he breaths in Jon's sweet scent, he can't help but bring his hand up a little more until it's resting in Jon's fluffy black hair, petting gently. His eyes flutter closed peacefully.

As soon as Jon allows himself to close his eyes once more, he immediately lets sleep pull him under, not once waking until early morning sunlight leaked through the dark curtains in Damian's room. They were a tangle of limbs, and the first thing his eyes laid upon was tanned skin, messy dark hair and a slight smile on the face of none other than a sleeping Damian Wayne. _And that's when it hit him. The way that the pure golden rays painted the boy's soft cheeks, the peaceful expression he wore, his long dark lashes laid perfectly against dark skin.._ Jon was pretty sure he gasped slightly.

Damian's eyes open slowly at the sound of Jon's gasp, and he smiles at the sight of his partner- bedhead and all. "Good morning," he says, not moving. It was quite comfortable right where they were.

His mouth was slightly hung open, eyes betraying him and gazing over the teen's features once more. "G-good mornin," he responds with, voice sounding _very_ rough from his sore throat, hints of sleep still remaining . "Y-you-" he starts but stops himself before he could say anything that might ruin this moment.

"Hm?" Damian urges, looking into Jon's sparkling blue eyes and realizing how _close_ they were. He can feel the warm breaths coming from Jon's slightly ajar mouth and his face heats up slightly. He can't help but linger on Jon's lips for a moment, admiring the slight pink tint and pretty curve to them.

"-you.. how do you look _so good_ and you just woke up?" His eyes widen once the words leave mis mouth. " _No_ wait-- I-" his face turns a bright shade of red and he bites his lip, trying to turn away but finds that somehow during the night their legs and arms intertwined..

Damian's eyes widen, his usually sharp brain working as slowly as a sloth's. He can feel Jon trying to turn away but can't seem to care much at the moment, captivated by his red cheeks. "Jon?" he whispers softly.

He hears his name and turns back to Damian, flustered and feeling suddenly very self conscious. _I probably look like a dang hot mess. How flattering._

"Why... did you say that?" Damian's eyes search Jon's carefully. He untangles his arm so he can bring it up to Jon's face without interference.

Blue eyes flicker to the hand that seemed to be hovering just over his skin, not quite in contact but enough to make him shiver. All of Jon's thoughts turned to mush as he struggled to think of something to say. "I.. I don't know.. I don't know why I said that." His gaze drops, knowing that probably wasn't what he should have said.

Damian retracts his hand quickly, studying Jon's face. He didn't... know? _Does that mean I completely misread the situation here?_ "Okay," he says quietly, resting his hand on Jon's shoulder instead.

 _Oh no oh no oh no why did he move his hand?! I knew I shouldn't have said that! Fix it, now!_  
"N-no I.. I just.. i do know--but not really.. _i don't know.._ " he sighs and frowns, mad that he isn't able to express what he's feeling in words. "I.. I said that because.." he pauses a bit, thinking it over for himself. Jon was almost 100% that Damian was attractive, no doubt. But he already thought that before.. so what was going on _now_?!

Damian waits for Jon to say something more, and sighs gently. "You don't have to know." He offers him a half smile and brushes a few long strands of hair that had fallen across Jon's face out of his eyes.

"But.. but I should Dami.. something.. _changed_. It's like I see you differently--not in a bad way!-- it's like.. when I woke up and saw you, there was this warm feeling I got, and I just couldn't.. look away." His eyes lock with the intense green ones that were smiling at him. _Every time you look at me or touch me.. I don't want it to end.. it makes me feel warm inside._

Damian blinks. Something _was_ different. He'd felt it before, very rarely. Flickers of feelings perhaps a little more than platonic in nature. Damian opens his mouth to say he feels the same, but instead of romantic words a small sneeze erupts.

Jon looks at Damian for a few seconds after hearing an almost kitten like sneeze come from the teen. His eyes soften and he starts to feel himself giggle as he now notices the red that was at his nose. "That was adorable."

"Shut up-" Another sneeze shakes his body, and he sniffles a little. "Thanks for getting me sick, idiot." Damian very much enjoyed sleeping with Jon, though. He wouldn't trade it for anything; not that he'd let Jon know anytime soon.

He chuckles and scoots back close to Damian and lays his head back down on the pillow. "On the bright side," he says with an excited smile. "You get to spend the whole day with me." And he wraps an arm around the boy and sighs happily.

Damian grunts grumpily but allows Jon to cuddle closer, pressing their foreheads together. He catches a whiff of Jon's breath as he exhales and grimaces. "I can smell your morning breath, Kent."

Jon snorts, lowering his head. "You ain't so minty fresh either Boy Wonder.."

Damian gives Jon his best unamused frown and sighs. "Don't think we're gonna fix that anytime soon."

"Guess not.." he says quietly, looking back up at the elder with a subtle smirk. "'Cause I'll be layin' here with you." He says it as if he doesn't believe it for himself. Jon knew a few things: he liked this, laying here with Damian close to him. He liked _Damian_. He knew that now, that he was attracted to the boy and Jon saw him in a new light. He just doesn't know why he never figured it out before.

Damian falls silent, enjoying the peaceful quiet. "Jon?" he asks softly.

"Yeah Dami?" He whispers, feeling at ease and happily content with the two of them pressed against each other like this. He just couldn't help the smile that remained at his lips.

"Do you want to... date?" Damian looks into Jon's eyes and discovers he's in love. He's in love with his best friend.

Jon's breath hitches in his throat and he somehow forgets how to breath. "L-like.. boyfriends?" He wasn't questioning it, more like trying to confirm that's what Damian actually meant.

Damian rolls his eyes. "Yes, Kent. Like boyfriends."

A bright fire lit in Jon's eyes as his smile widened into a full out grin and he nods enthusiastically. "I really want that. I want to date you."

Damian chuckles, brushing the back of his hand against Jon's cheek gently. "I knew you would." He smiles and leans forward to kiss his best friend turned boyfriend.

When their lips connect, Jon can't help but smile into the kiss, cheeks flushing deeply. The soft hand at his cheek made him tingle and a happy warmth grew in his stomach. When the kiss ends-sadly-Jon rests his nose at the crook of Damian's neck, breathing lightly on him. _I'm his.._

Damian wraps his arms around Jon possessively, taking in deep whiffs of his sweet scent. He coughs a little, ruining the mood just a bit. But Jon doesn't seem to mind, which makes Damian smile.

"I'm sorry I got you sick." He apologizes again. "But I'll admit, your sneezes and coughs are a _reeeeally_ cute.." he says, pressing soft kisses along Damian's somewhat paler than normal skin, due to him being under the weather.

Damian grumbles, deciding to ignore Jon's comment about him being 'cute' despite the warmth it created in his stomach. "Apology accepted."


	7. Black (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years after the Manchester Black incident, Jon finds himself feeling more and more irritable and angry. Little does Black know the power of love defeats all evil.
> 
> Basically a part two of the Superman Rebirth storyline where Jon gets "possessed" by Black. Read it here: http://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Superman-2016/Issue-21?id=110282

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jon Kent, Lois Lane, and Bruce Wayne  
> SAS as Damian Wayne, Clark Kent, and Barry Allen
> 
> Angst with a happy ending  
> No one dies we promise
> 
> Bruce is ooc in this tbh  
> You'll see why
> 
> Sex happens later in the rp (no penetration yet again because we're lame)
> 
> All Jon wants is to kiss Damian without being walked in on, dammit

It started quietly.  
Jon didn't know why he'd suddenly been feeling grumpy and irritable, but he assumed it was teenage hormones or not getting enough sleep from his nightly patrols with Damian. One day it had gotten so bad Jon couldn't help but snap at his parents when they expressed their concern.  
"You wouldn't listen," he had said bitterly. "You never do." Which was not true at all and Jon knew it, but the darkness in his mind was creeping further and further until just a sliver of his own thoughts were left.  
He couldn't work up the strength to apologize.  
Another night on patrol, Jon had a bad guy in his hands and was tossing him around like a rag doll, black invading his vision until he couldn't see or hear. It wasn't until Damian's gloved hand had squeezed his shoulder did he let the barely conscious man drop to the floor, unceremoniously kicking him away.

"What the _hell_ , Superboy?" came Damian's firm voice as he ziptied the unconscious man's wrists together for the cops to pick up later. He had watched Jon for a second as he had beat the bum to a practically bloody pulp before Robin stepped in and decided enough was enough. Years of training and discipline with Batman had taught him but one thing. _Once they're down, they're down. Leave them to the cops._  
He turned to face his friend who seemed to have a dangerous fire in those crystal blue eyes that Damian couldn't quite explain. Through the domino, his expression showed confusion, worry and some anger.

Jon swats Damian's hand off his shoulder, eyes glinting dangerously. He's just... so _angry_. There's darkness everywhere and he can't think. It almost feels like a nightmare; a show he's being forced to watch and can't do anything about. Except this is _real_. _Why am I so angry?_ He wants to apologize, say he's sorry. Plead for help- but all that comes out of his mouth is, "Don't touch me." Jon growls, backing away from Robin quickly.

A look of disgust is returned to Superboy as Damian's lip curls into a snarl. "Why are you so pissy tonight?" He's quick to start something, but under the retort he's beginning to become more and more concerned... along with confused.

"You never share anything with me, so why should I?" Jon's eyes narrow, drawing attention to his blown pupils. They're almost swallowing up his bright blue irises now, creeping steadily outwards. He blinks, shoulders tensing as if waging a battle no one else could see inside his mind.

He snorts dryly, no humor in his tone. "I'm not a very emotional person, Kent, if you couldn't tell from the 5 years that we've been working together." Damian takes note of every slight movement the teen before him makes. Even he was getting uncomfortable by the tension that was rapidly increasing in the alleyway. _Something's not right.._

Jon stands for a few more moments, breathing picking up steadily. Without thinking, he lunges forward, arms outstretched and ready to pin Damian and render him immobile. He collides with the older boy, tackling him to the ground and straddling his torso, forcing his arms above his head with one hand and closing the other into a fist. He draws his fist back, ready to punch Damian with his full strength, but something stops him. Something good.  
Jon stands up abruptly and stumbles backwards, eyes wide. He's confused and still angry, but... not angry enough to fight his best friend. Not yet. He turns and flies off into the lonely night sky without another word.

It all happens so quick, Damian doesn't even have time to take a breath and only a strangled gasp leaves him as he's rendered immobile under the Kryptonian. He prepares himself for the blow that never comes, never once closing his eyes because he was still in shock. He regains his breath only when the weight is lifted off of him, and Jon suddenly looks very conflicted. Damian starts to open his mouth, nothing but curses and yelling to come but before he could unleash his fury, Jon rockets into the sky without word. _What the hell just happened? No seriously, what the hell just happened?_ he stares for a good minute and a half before breaking his gaze off from the foggy sky, looking down at his gloved wrists. He strips the green fabric off the reveal deep bruises no doubt from Superboy's tight grasp.

Jon decides not to go back home that night. He doesn't want his parents asking questions he didn't know the answers to or having to listen to their whispers in the hallway when they think he's fallen asleep. Instead, he picks a large tree just outside of Gotham City and curls up beneath it, eyes empty and mind blank.

It's the first night he doesn't sleep.

~ 0 ~

It's been 4 days since Damian last saw Jon. He wasn't responding to any of his calls or texts. The Kents had the same problem and Damian was starting to get fed up. He was slightly pissed off because of the fact that he hadn't been able to track his friend down yet, but he was honestly.. not sure of what to do once he found him. _My approach didn't work well and almost got my head bashed in. So what now?_  
Damian hadn't told Batman, but he's sure that Clark alerted Bruce of Jon's absence and weird behavior. Everyone was mystified.

Jon has always liked parks. He decides to wander around one today and hopefully clear his mind. The cool morning air does wonders for his mood, and he feels some of the darkness in his mind loosen its grip. His eyes are so tired he can barely keep them open.

A long time ago, Damian had thought multiple times about placing a tracker on Jon. He had vetoed the idea in favor that he _trusted_ the boy. He actually felt like he could trust that anywhere the boy went, Damian would know or wouldn't have to know.  
Boy does he regret that right now.  
Because he has to go to _Drake_ for help. And of course Tim helps, but only because it's for Jon (Damian thinks it's because Drake has a soft spot for Kryptonians, but he decides not to push his luck.) Tim disappears into the batcave for about 3 hours before emerging with a hopeful expression.  
"I just checked all of the security footage from last night in Gotham and Metropolis, but he's upstate at this location." He hands Damian-who was already in his Robin attire-a tablet with live security footage of Jon wandering some park aimlessly.  
"Thank you, Drake. I must go." He says grimly as he slips on his boots and then domino.  
"Alone?" Tim eyes his little brother warily.  
"Yes. I need to try a ...softer approach." He mumbles back, standing and grabbing his katana before heading towards his motorcycle. "Thank you again." And with that he gave a small salute for a goodbye and revved the engine to life, speeding out of the batcave.

Jon hears Robin far before he sees him, and suddenly the dark's grip on his mind increases. He's angry at Damian for that night in the alleyway. His entire outfit grows a little duller and darker in color.

About a block off, Damian parks his bike and locks it before looking down. _Maybe the katana wouldn't be a good idea..._ and he puts it in a compartment in his bike before wandering around in the park before he spots dark raven hair, a gloomy teen who was standing under a lamppost seeming to be deep in thought. Robin jogs over to Jon but slows down once he gets within 10 feet. "Jon?" He calls in a light and concerned voice.

"What do you want?" Jon snaps irritably.

"I want to know if you're _okay_ , Jon.." his eyes gaze over his friend who seems to have this dark aura around him that made Damian uneasy, but he stepped forward still.

Jon takes a step back as Damian moves forward, wanting to flee the situation more than anything else. The darkness makes him stay; makes him face the fight that was sure to come. "I don't need your help."

"I think you do, and everyone else does too. Not to mention you've been gone without a word for 4 days.. I just want to know what's going on. I _do_ care, despite how I show it, Kent." He retracts back from the teen and stands there, eyes trying to convey the worry and concern through the white lenses of his domino.

Jon growls, shaking slightly. _Don't hurt him. He just wants to talk. Don't hurt him!_ **Make him bleed. Make him grovel at your feet. He underestimates you. They all do.** "No!" Jon shouts, noting how that had nothing to do with what Robin had said. "Don't... please..." Jon drops to his knees, breathing shakily. His irises are now completely black, and he grabs the concrete sidewalk in an attempt to ground himself. It cracks beneath the pressure.

The eyes behind the domino widen in shock and he feels himself subconsciously grabbing at his pocket with the small piece of Kryptonite in it, instantly cursing at himself for even _thinking_ such a cowardly act. So he drops down beside his best friend, and once he sees Jon's eyes he yells out, and his face hardens into an angry snarl. How had he not figured it out before?! _You were too slow, too stupid, you could have _saved _him! _  
"Manchester, you son of a _bitch_!" He growls, jumping back from Jon.____

**Well, the secret is out now. Kill him.** But Jon fights. There's pressure in his mind and he _screams_ , an unholy shout raised to the sky. Blood begins dripping out of his nose. He stands on tremoring legs, black swallowing up his usually colorful costume and covering his eyes. "D-Dami-" he tries, attempting desperately to control the black. _Run!_

"I'm not leaving you Jon! Come on, you're strong!" He's trying his best not to freak out. No, he wasn't scared, at least for himself. He was scared for _Jon_ , who had to watch himself commit actions he had no control over. _My guess is Black's going to try to kill me now. Like hell he will._ he thinks as he grits his teeth and presses a finger to the comm in his ear. "Robin to _anyone,_ come in! Manchester Black is-" His breath was cut off from him by a kick to his chest and he flies backwards, tumbling and rolling on the ground before regaining his balance and shifting his weight to his knees, returning into a ready stance. "Jon is _in trouble_. And so is everyone in this city. I need backup!" 

Jon launches himself at Robin, rivers of thick black liquid dripping down his face and mouth wide open in a battle cry. He throws a powerful punch right at his partner's face. 

Superboy was moving quicker than he usually does and Damian guesses it's Black's mind control coursing through Jon. He has barely enough time to duck his head as leaps to the right of Jon, trying the comms again while reaching behind him and activating his bo staff for defense. He know it wouldn't hurt Jon, but it's Damian's mental state knowing he doesn't even want to lay a hand on Jon. He doesn't deserve to be bested senseless by Damian and it wouldn't even do anything to beat Black. 

Jon growls in frustration as his attack hits nothing but empty air. Instead of throwing punches and kicks, this time he shoots out his hand, closing around Robin's neck and squeezing dangerously tight. He lifts him up slightly so his legs are dangling a few inches off the ground. 

As it's getting consistently harder and more painful to breath, Damian is soon realizing that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't loosen the steel grip around his neck. He reaches a hand up and tries striking at a pressure point in Jon's neck, hoping it would stun him, but Damian wasn't even sure it would be more than a love tap for Jon. 

Lucky for Damian- and Jon- Superboy's invulnerability had decided to fail him in that moment. He drops Damian with a shout, bringing a hand up to his painfully pulsing neck. He chokes on his air for a moment before recovering, snarling intimidatingly. 

A static in his ear draws his attention and he presses the comm again. "Robin? Come in Robin? We have your location and I, Superman, Flash and Red Robin are on our way. Do you have your Kryptonite?" Damian feels slightly relieved but still knows that one of the biggest threats he's ever faced is right in front of him and pissed off. _Do I have my Kryptonite? Why would he even suggest hurting Jon?_ "I am _not_ using that on Jon, Father." He dodges a few quick punches from Jon and throws a batarang at Superboy, and steel wires tie his legs up. It wouldn't hold for more than a few seconds, but Damian needed to stall. 

Jon breaks free from the steel wires easily, snapping them in half with a simple jerk of his legs. He stands and grabs Damian, tossing him into a nearby tree. 

Damian tries to brace himself before hitting the tree but a sickly cracking sound is heard and he screams in pain and hits the ground with a thud, left arm in a horrid deformed shape. The tree was cracked and splitting from the impact and Damian was lucky it was only his arm. He doesn't have time to breath before a few branches break off and fall down on him, pinning him to the ground in his weakened state. 

Sometimes Jon forgot how fragile Damian was. He's just a normal boy with no superpowers of any sorts. He doesn't expect him to be helpless, doesn't expect him to be hurt, doesn't expect him to _scream_. Jon's entire world freezes as he hears Damian's scream. _He's in pain. You hurt him._ Jon shakes the thoughts off, hearing the bat jet rapidly approaching. **Perfect. Destroy them.**  
Jon barely catches The Flash streaking by until he's falling to the ground face first. He leaps up and flies high into the sky before Flash can hit him again. 

_No!_ he tries to scream but blood only seeps out of his mouth and he coughs roughly, the copper tasting liquid stinging the back of his throat. _Get up you imbecile! Don't let let them hurt him!_ and he tries to lift himself but only yelps as his arm is shifted into a worse position. He can hear the faint sound of the batjet and sees the streak of lightning before Flash is standing and fighting with Jon and he hears Red Robin's yelling in the background. He didn't even remember seeing him pull up. He sees Jon take a few more hits before he gives a shaky breath and his eyes roll into the back of his head, blacking out. The hatred in Jon's eyes burning into Damian's mind. 

~ 0 ~ 

Bruce is just about ready to pummel Superman into the floor of the Bat Cave. _Why doesn't he fucking_ listen?  
"He's too dangerous, Clark. We can't let a boy with your powers waltz around taking out Leaguers left and right. He almost killed Red Robin. He almost killed my _son_." Bruce crosses his arms stoically. "If you're hesitant about taking him down, you are a jeopardy to this mission." 

Clark was trying not to get overly worked up about this, but Jon was his _son_. He could potentially lose his _son_. He knows lives are in danger but Jon is everything to him. Everything to him and Lois. "Of course I'm hesitant, Bruce! That's not _him_! He doesn't deserve this, he can't help this! That doesn't mean we have to-" he clenches his flats at his sides and takes an unsteady breath. "There has to be another way. _There has to._ " 

"We don't know where Manchester Black is. We can't take him out, so we have to take out Superboy. He's going to _kill_ someone, Clark." Bruce narrows his eyes. "We don't have a choice. It's one life or the world." 

Giving the big and bad bat his most disgusted look, he then turns away shaking his head. "What good does that do, Bruce? Black can just.. possess anyone he wants! What if it was Damian?" And that's when Clark knew he went too far. He regretted saying that, but he genuinely wanted to know. 

That makes Bruce pause hesitantly. _If it was Damian..._ His eyebrows furrow under his cowl, but he sets his jaw determinedly. "I would do what had to be done." 

Definitely _not_ expecting to have that answer returned to him, he spun around, jaw opened and eyes wide. "That's kind of _sick_ , Bruce. That really is." He swallows thickly, many thoughts going through his head at once. "But I'm not like you. I'm not just going to.. give up on Jon. I'm not." 

"I thought you might say that," Bruce says with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry. This is the only way." He quickly jabs a needle into Superman's neck, injecting the green liquid into his bloodstream. 

A loud grunt escapes Clark and he goes to lit his fists but feels suddenly weaker and sickly, knees starting to give out on him. "What...the.. hell?" He struggles to get those few words out before tumbling over to the wall to steady himself. 

Bruce unclips an inhibitor collar from his belt and locks it around Clark's neck with a click. He steps back and let's the Kryptonite do it's work. _It's for the good of the Justice League._

"I.. swear to god Bruce.. if-if you lay a.. hand.. on Jon i'll.." He slips down to the floor struggling to stay conscious. He couldn't think straight while the Kryptonite was practically tearing him apart from the inside out. His blue eyes were growing heavy and he didn't think he could stay awake any longer, but before he passes out he glares at Bruce, pure and utter hatred glowing in his eyes. "Go to hell.." and then his head leans forward, eyelids finally closing and Superman collapses on the floor. Helpless. 

~ 0 ~ 

When Damian came to, he woke to a bright light, and he groaned, squinting his eyes. "Where.." his voice was coarse and he could still taste blood, and he looks down to his arm that was wrapped and in a sling.  
The memories come back to him. Jon, the League, Black.. then he blacked out. "Alfred?" He calls out, but no response. "Father?" 

"Damian." Bruce stands up from his seat across the infirmary, walking over to where his son lay. "How are you feeling?" 

"Like shit." He deadpans dryly, looking over at his father with bagged eyes. "What happened. Is everyone okay?" He thinks back to Jon and Flash fighting each other, Tim struggling to get to Damian. His heart suddenly takes a stab thinking about Jon. The teen longed to know that he was okay... back to normal and safe. 

"Everyone's fine. A little beat up, but fine." Bruce pauses, knowing Damian wouldn't take the news well. "Jon is still under the influence of Manchester Black. Most of us agree our next move should be to track down Jon and kill him before _he_ kills _us_." 

_'...track down Jon and kill him before he kills us.'_ the words ring in his ears like static that wasn't fully being processed. Damian didn't respond at first, mostly trying to comprehend the emotions that started make his face heat up and his throat clench, making it once again hard to breathe.  
"Did you just say... _kill_ Jon? As in..end his life?" The response was dumb, mostly because he still was not fully understanding. They can't just... kill Jon. What was Clark saying? What was _Lois_ saying? Jon was only a kid, practically. Damian didn't even know how he felt--he knows he does _not_ want Jon dead. But he can't tell if he is overwhelmingly angry, scared, or sad. 

"Yes," Bruce says evenly. "It's the only way." 

Damian's sure that he hears a snapping sound, he breaks so bad.  
" _The only way??_ " He snarls, sitting up in the bed. "The _only_ way is to _kill_ my best friend?!" 

Bruce doesn't flinch as Damian sits up abruptly, used to his furious outbreaks. He is, however, slight surprised by Damian’s intense reaction. He willingly called Jon his best friend. That means the world to Damian. "Calm down, Damian. You're going to hurt yourself." 

"I'm _fine_. Stop steering yourself away from the inevitable, Father. You can't kill Jonathan. You _won't_." His eyes narrow, fists clenching so hard his knuckles turn white as they hold onto the bedsheets. 

"We must," Bruce insists. _He won't listen. Best not to waste my time here._ "I'm need to make plans with the Justice League. You better be lying right there when I get back." It's useless to tell him that, Bruce knows. If Damian wants something he sure as hell will try. He just hopes he won't get in the way of the League and complicate things. 

"Like _hell_ I will!" He straightens his back, and starts to swing his legs off of the side of the bed. "Don't you _dare_ fucking walk away from me!" He gets out of the bed and the ice packs that had been on him (he never noticed) hit the ground with a thud. 

"Damian," Bruce warns threateningly. They both know Damian is in no condition to fight physically, so Bruce hopes he'll keep it verbal. He doesn't want Damian to injure himself more than he already is. 

"Bruce," Damian was glowering up at his father. _So this is it. This is how we divide. If he's going to take Jon away from me, I'll die fighting anyone who tries to bring any harm to him._ "I'm not standing by and letting you kill him..." And that was the bottom line. He calculated he had about the rest of the day to formulate a plan. Gather intel. Get to Jon before the League did. 

"Goodbye, Damian." Bruce turns and walks away, knowing this may very well be the end of their relationship. But he was confident the League would be able to find Jon before Damian. 

As soon as the Batman leaves, Damian was already stripping out of his bloodied Robin uniform and changes into his spare. He grabs his phone off the nightstand and to find missed calls from Dick, a few texts from Tim. He ignores them for the moment and dial's Lois's number and after a few rings, a sorrow voice answers the phone.  
"H-hello?"  
"Lois, this is Damian."  
"D-Damian? Your father said you were hurt badly?" Lois sounded terrible. Like she's been crying.  
"I am. I'm fine. Where is Superman? Is he with you?" Damian knew that he probably wouldn't be there with Lois, probably off trying to find his son.  
"He never came back from earlier.. i don't know where he is."  
He thought for a moment, and drops the phone, sprinting to the high security cells in the bat cave. There he found a sickly, unconscious Superman laying on the floor of the cell. Damian typed in a few codes that didn't seem to work before he finally hacked in, the door opening slowly. 

Superman stirred slightly at the sound of his cell door opening, forcing his eyes open to see... Damian Wayne? "Damian? What are you doing here?" 

"I need your help, Clark. Father just made the mistake of leaving me, thinking I wouldn't be able to stop him." He slowly crouches down, taking the collar off of Superman and tossing it aside. 

"What...?" Clark could hardly think straight. Every fiber of his body refused to cooperate with his will. "Stop... Bruce? You want to save Jon?" Everything comes together painfully slow. 

Damian looks at the crippled man before him with pained eyes. "You .. you didn't think I would just let them kill him.. did you?" He asks quietly, shrinking back from Clark. _After all this time he still probably doesn't assume I would save my best friend.. great.._

Clark shakes his head. "I don't know. I-" he cuts himself off. "Just tell me what you need." 

He swallows and forces his mask on. Not his domino, but the mask that wouldn't dare let any emotion slip through, give away how scared he was. How much he was hurting. "Where is Jon? How is Bruce going to..-" he shakes his head. "Just tell me everything you know. I need to figure out how to stop this." 

Clark closes his eyes thoughtfully, furiously racking his brain for an idea- any spark of hope that would be able to save his son. "You could... try summoning him," he says finally. "A signal only he can hear." 

Damian tilts his head. "How would you suggest I do that?" 

"Play a message at a frequency that's too high for anyone to hear but him," Clark explains quickly. "Make him think it's the League. He'll come running." 

Thinking it over in his head, the Robin decides that's a perfect idea. He nods and opens his mouth to speak, but he can't bring himself to say what he wanted to say: _I promise I won't let Jonathan die. I promise I'll bring him home._ But all the odds are against him.  
"I'll bring Jon home. In the meantime, rest. Go to Lois. She needs emotional support right now. I can handle this." His smooth voice was unwavering, yet he was feeling all the anxiety bear down on him like the weight of 1000 suns. 

"Thank you, Damian," Clark says, voice thick with emotion. He doesn't think he's ever felt so grateful in his entire life. "You'll succeed. I know it." 

As he stands his expression remains neutral, but his eyes show compassion for the man. It was true what they all said; Superman inspires hope. He holds out a gloved hand to Clark to pull him up, then leaves the cell without another word. 

Damian fully gears up, beyond irritated by his injured arm. _I'll give Jon hell for that later..._ and he actually smiled to myself. A fond smile and a hoping fire burned in his chest, telling him things just might be alright. One of the many bat jets roared to life as Robin climbed inside, trying to figure out a way to broadcast a high frequency signal. He would fly out to far upstate where there were only forests and sky so no civilians would be endangered. 

~ 0 ~ 

Jon almost drops out of the sky when he hears a very high pitched and _loud_ set of Morse letters echo through the air. **It's the Justice League! Follow it,** Manchester Black commands. Jon obeys obediently, soaring through the sky to a clearing where a bat jet was landed.  
"Come out, cowards!" Jon yells, stomping his foot as he lands to cause a mini quake. "You can't hide in there forever!" 

Damian was prepared this time. He had brought an inhibitor collar, a small kryptonite dagger, and body armor. All he needed to do was get through to Jon like last time.  
As he presses the 'open' button he walked calmly out of the Jet, gazing over Superboy Black. The darkness consuming Jon made it painful to look at him, reminding himself that his cheery, sweet, innocent Jon was under all of that chaos. 

"Oh. It's _you_ again," Jon says disdainfully. "I thought you'd give up after I beat your ass last time, but I guess not." 

"I'm not ready to give up yet, Johno." Robin says with a pained smirk, remembering the scream Jon had made before Black completely took over, locking away Jon's consciousness with it. "I have to say," he starts, stalling as he takes a few steps forward. "You look good in black. But I like red and blue better. Let's go home Jon." He looks dead into those pitch black eyes, black tears staining his cheeks, pooling at his chin then dropping down onto the ground. _Come back to me._

Jon's leg twitches as if trying to back away, but something keeps him rooted to the spot. _I want to, Dami. Take me home,_ he pleads in his mind, but the Black forces him to growl slightly. "Don't come any closer." 

"Oh? Are you _afraid_ , Black?" he gives a dangerous smirk and takes 3 steps forward. If he leapt forward, he would be face to face with Jon. "Then why don't _you_ come closer to _me_?" With the challenge, he crossed his arms and lifts his head, nose to the sky. _Just close enough to get the collar on him._

Jon's lips curl back into a snarl, eyes narrowing. "I am fearless. The Black conquers all!" Jon steps forward quickly and moves to sweep Damian's feet from under him with a kick. 

He easily jumps up and comes down landing on Jon's leg and uses the opportunity to slam him to the ground and quickly grabs the inhibitor collar from under his cape, going for Superboy's neck swiftly. 

Jon's pitch black eyes widen, but in spite of his surprise he catches Damian's hand quickly, snatching the inhibitor collar and tossing it to the ground. It shatters from the force of the throw, the pieces of metal scattering across the forest floor. 

_No! _Damian growls and feels the force tightening around his wrist and winces.  
His last line of attack with the Kryptonite dagger which he dreaded using. He wouldn't try to make Jon bleed; only weaken him enough to possibly knock him out. With his free hand he reaches blindly into his utility belt for the green crystal.__

Jon flips them over quickly so he's on top, grabbing Damian's other wrist before he can take whatever it is he had in that utility pouch out. He squeezes both of his wrists harshly, grinning wickedly. "It's over, Damian," he hisses. "You lost." 

When Jon was first possessed, he was able to overcome this darkness. He was able to push Manchester Black out. But he had help, help from Kathy. She used her powers to help push out the Darkness and while Damian was only human, he had every intention to help Jon overcome all of this. "It's not over yet. I'm still not giving up." He eyes both of the strong hands pinning him to the ground. Damian had many times before imagining them like this in a whole other _situation_ , and he actually freezes under the body looming over him. 

"What the hell do you mean? I could kill you right now before you even had the chance to blink." Jon is stalling now, trying to keep Black from killing Damian. He fights even harder to release the hold on his mind, a splitting headache making his vision swim. His grip on Robin loosens. 

"You could. Or you could be strong like I know you are. You could let me help you. You can come back to me." Robin gives Superboy his options, words soft yet strong with meaning. He feels a little bit of the pressure lift from his wrists loosen, noting the silent war raging behind Superboy's eyes. _Now!_  
Damian lifts himself up and parts his lips as they crash into Jon's and he feels the boy freeze which allows Damian to shake his wrists free from the right grip they were in and cups Jon's cheeks. He feels a wave of anger and confusion crash into him, sharing the pain Jonathan was in. 

Jon freezes as Damian's warm lips meet his cold ones. He feels his gloved hands ghost over his cheeks and is filled with wonder. _Instead of reaching for his belt he... touches me._ Jon is so happy he thinks he might faint, but then a fresh wave of anger washes over him. He makes a strangled noise as Damian continues kissing him sweetly, hands balling into fists at Damian's sides. He forces them to stay there and closes his eyes, responding to the kiss. 

_He's not killing me yet, so that's good._ It took a few moments of Damian moving his lips slowly against Jon's that he realizes that the boy is starting to kiss back! He mentally battles through all of the anger that is emitting from Black and concentrates on using his passion and relief to conquer the dark aura around Jon. His thumbs rub circles into the cool, pale skin of Superboy's cheeks while humming soothingly. With every new wave of anger and hatred, Damian drowns it out with his kisses and compassion, the new waves noticeably less intense. 

The black begins to fade from Jon's uniform, and the black tears that were streaming down his face slowly cease forming. Jon yelps as one final, furious wave of darkness crashes against his brain painfully. His whole head throbs for a moment and then all is quiet. When he opens his eyes, they're back to their crystal blue. 

Robin feels his gloved hands move from Jon's cheeks to around his back, pulling the boy tight against him protectively. The irises of Damian's eyes seem to shake in fear of Black still being present in Superboy, but as his gaze meets with clear blue eyes, he feels tears that threaten to spill over at any moment. _He's back, Manchester is gone!_  
"J-Jon?" A shaky whisper comes out as he still holds the boy close to him, fearing something would happen to him if he let go. 

"Dami," Jon gasps. "He's gone! I can think again- oh god Dami, thank you!" Jon feels tears fall from his eyes and watch as they drop onto Damian's cheeks. He wipes them away, smiling. He chuckles breathlessly, closing his eyes tight and resting his forehead against Damian's. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome Jon.." he chokes out before a stream of tears start to pour down his cheeks and he starts to shake lightly, squeezing Jon impossibly close. "I-I'm s-s-sorry.." he tries to smile through the tears, but only tastes the warm droplets that deep into his mouth. Damian hasn't ever cried in front of Jon. Damian almost never cries, period. He felt slightly ashamed and embarrassed. 

Jon blinks in confusion, but hugs Damian back anyways. "Don't be. _I'm_ sorry for hurting you." Jon pulls away a little so he can look at Damian's face. "Are you okay?" 

He feels himself start to nod, but then shakes his head, teeth grinding together uncomfortably. "T-they were going to _kill_ you J-Jon.." he whimpers out, completely ignoring what Jon had asked and his voice cracked in an ugly way. High pitched sobs exit his mouth as he cries in front of his best friend, completely vulnerable and exposed. 

Jon feels himself tearing up again empathetically, and strokes Damian's cheek soothingly with his thumb. "They didn't. I'm okay. _We're okay._ " Jon gasps shakily, forcing himself to take deep breaths. " _You saved me._ " 

About thirty seconds pass before Damian gains the strength to speak again, but quietly and strained. "I.. I know.. I had to do anything. You're my best friend.." he trails off, thinking about the magical kiss hey shared. _That's not something best friends do.._ He knew he should say something. But he didn't have the strength to, and knows he would pay for it. He probably just confused Jon even more, and Damian hated feeling like he was leading the boy on. 

Jon's bright smile wavers a little. "Best friend." Did Damian mean that? They kissed. Damian kissed him. Surely he didn't see them as "best friends"? "I... don't want to be best friends," Jon admits carefully. "I want to be boyfriends." 

"You do?" He says almost in disbelief. After blinking the last of his tears away, Damian searches Jon's eyes finding longing and confusion. "I.. I didn't know you.. felt the same." 

"I didn't know _you_ felt the same!" Jon exclaims, taking both sides of Damian's face and squeezing slightly. He thinks this may just be the happiest day of his life. 

Damian's eyes widened as his cheeks were pressed together slightly, blushing madly. Jon.. Jon liked him? "I--oh--wow." He says quietly, green eyes happily gazing into his.. his.. were they boyfriends now? "Can I--" he was cut off by a streak of lightning in front of them.  
"Oh my-- holy _shit_!" Barry gasps. "Superboy's back!" 

Jon stares at Barry, eyes wide as saucers. After a good few seconds he leaps off Damian, standing up rigidly. "I don't- we weren't doing anything!" Jon blurts, panicking. A slow heat rushes into his cheeks embarrassingly. 

Barry suppresses a smirk and gives them a knowing smile. "Whatever you say... I think the Bat should be here in about 2 minutes. You should.. fix your face." He gives a chuckle, pointing to Jon's face, then his bright red Flash suit, then back to Jon's face. Damian smirks and rushes his body armor off before standing slowly. 

Jon covers his warm face with his hands and wills the heat to go away. _This is so humiliating..._ "Yes, thank you Flash," Jon says curtly, voice muffled a little from behind his hands. 

Damian sighs as he see's the very familiar black jet in the sky, approaching closer and closer until it's landing in the clearing. Not even moments later, Batman and Nightwing emerge. Dick sprints to Damian and throws his arms around his little brother then goes to Jon and gives him a tighter hug. "You're alive! I can't believe it!" 

Jon laughs, hugging Dick back. "Good to see you too, Nightwing!" He pulls away, beaming at Damian's older brother. His expression changes to a more solemn one when he sees Batman exiting the jet. He glances at Damian nervously, expecting trouble. 

Batman's cape billows in the soft breeze, face stoic. Damian can already feel his blood start to boil.  
"Jon, are you feeling okay?" Batman's low voice cut through the good tension, replacing it with an uncomfortable stuffiness.  
"Thanks to me, he's not _dead_." Damian grumbles, giving his father a death stare. It wasn't a gloat, but a callout to his father who had planned to kill Jon. 

"I'm okay, Batman," Jon says quietly. 

He nods and takes off his cowl slowly, ignoring the looks he was getting from Damian. Bruce was prepared to take it. "I'm sorry Jon. You must know that my hands were tied.. I couldn't risk innocent lives." He looks Jon dead in the eyes, by feels the snarl that Damian shot his was.  
_Just grab Jon and go. Just grab Jon and go._ His jaw clenches upon hearing his father words, but he keeps his mouth shut. 

______"I understand." And he does. He really, honestly does; and he knows Batman's intentions were good, but he just wishes he hadn't given up so quickly. "I forgive you."_ _ _ _ _ _

Bruce sighs and moves closer to Jon and before he can rest a comforting hand on Jon's shoulder, Damian steps in front of Jon and glares up at his father. "Stop. I can't listen to you apologize anymore. _You messed up_. And _maybe_ if you put a little more trust in your son, you wouldn't have to." Bruce gives Damian a look, frustration from earlier arising. "Damian, you know I trust you. I had my reasons and if those aren't good enough for you then so be it." 

______Damian opens his mouth to speak, but Jon reaches forward and squeezes his shoulder gently. "It's okay, Dami. I'm here. What's done is done."_ _ _ _ _ _

The hard look he gave his father remained, but he allowed himself to ease into Jon's touch and not start a fight. Nodding slowly, he turns away without a word to face Jon. "Let's go. You mother and father should see you." Damian very much wanted to remain with Jon, not accepting that he would have to leave the boy's side at one point or another. He would protect him for right now, and Damian was definitely _not_ returning to the Wayne manor tonight. Or tomorrow night.. 

Jon follows Damian into their bat jet, painfully aware of the many eyes boring into his back as they enter. He visibly relaxes when the opening closes behind them. As he takes his seat beside Damian's, a thought occurs to him. "Dami, where _is_ my dad? Why wasn't he with the rest?" 

Damian chokes on words, resentment for his father punching a fist into his gut. Through clenched teeth he tries his best to tell Jon what happened calmly. "Father knew your father would try to stop them. Him staying out of the way was vital to Batman's plan... so Bruce drugged him, and locked him in a cell… _god_ Jon I'm so fucking sorry.." he growls, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "I called you mom when I came to, and she said he didn't go home. I knew Father had something to do with it so I checked the cells.. and there he was.. I let him go.. your mother was.. she needed Clark." 

Jon suddenly finds himself frozen to his seat. "Bruce... hurt my dad?" Jon almost can't believe it. He knew Batman spent a lot of time cooped up in the Bat Cave or out in the most crime-ridden city in the world, but he's supposed to be a good guy! A hero, even. To hear that he'd go so far as to hurt and imprison Jon's father and one of his most trusted allies was overwhelming to think about. Jon wasn't sure if he could forgive Batman for _that_. 

Turning in his seat abruptly, Damian leans over and takes Jon's hand. "I know Jon.. I'm _pissed_. I'll... talk to him. But I'm not ready to face him right now. I-i just want to be here for you... " Below the surface, Damian felt like shit, and he was ashamed. Ashamed of what his father did. Ashamed he was _sleeping_ through all of what happened. He realized he was staring into space for a while and cautiously brought his eyes to meet Jon's. 

Jon sits with his eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. He couldn't figure out for the life of him _why_ Batman would do such a thing. He almost feels angry, but keeps his emotions in check. _I've felt enough anger this past week to last me a lifetime,_ Jon thinks.  
He looks up at Damian with a smile. "And I want to be here for _you_ ," Jon says. "What were you trying to ask me before The Flash came?" 

_I was going to ask if I could kiss you._ He thinks longingly. But now was not that time, and he just wanted to get out of that clearing. "It can wait for later. It wasn't anything important." Quietly, he starts up the jet, taking off swiftly. The knots in his stomach loosened the further and further they get away from the clearing and closer to Metropolis. 

______"If you say so."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon finds himself getting antsy as the scenery changes from foresty to gloomy to his familiar home in Metropolis. The bright lights and shining domes welcome him, and all he can think about is seeing his parents again._ _ _ _ _ _

______As soon as they get close to where Jon's apartment was, he lowers the jet and stops it over the roof of the apartments. Thankful that he can just send this thing home with the click of a button, him and Jon depart from the aircraft and stand on the roof while Damian sends it back to the manor. Not really know with to say, he gives Jon a fond smile. "You're finally home."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Finally," Jon agrees. He looks out over the night sky, sparkling with stars, and takes a deep breath. He leads the way to the staircase and knocks on his apartment door once they arrive. His mother answers it eagerly, calling her husband over with tears in her eyes. Jon's stomach does a few flips when he see's them both for the first time in days. He remembers the last time he saw his mother, he was yelling at her. Jon tears up as they both scoop him into their arms, squeezing tight.  
"I'm so sorry," Jon says, tears of bittersweet happiness spilling over his cheeks. "I'm sorry for yelling at you and I'm sorry for hurting you."_ _ _ _ _ _

"Jon no no no sweetie.. _You're here_. Back with us. _That's all that matters._ " Lois said breathlessly, kissing her son's head dozens of times. Clark wrapped his arms around his family and Damian stood there with a knowing smile on his face before Jois gasped and smiled at Robin, tears staining her cheeks. "Come here!" She insisted, and he hesitantly took a step forward. "You saved him Damian. Thank you _so much_. Thank you." 

__________Jon and Lois reach for Damian at the same time, dragging him into the family hug. Jon smiles at Damian brightly, squeezing him firmly. "Thank you," he whispers.  
When they finally break apart, Lois urges the boys to come in and get changed so they could have dinner.  
When they're both showered and changed and take seats on Jon's bed while they wait for dinner, Jon speaks. "It's later," he says with a smile. "What were you going to ask me?" 

______Damian was still trying to dry his hair with a towel when Jon spoke to him and he looked at Jon, somewhat nervous. He wasn't expecting the boy to remember that, but he sure hadn't forgot. Swallowing nervously, he folds the towel and ruffles his hair so it wouldn't flop down into his eyes before taking a few steps over to Jon. "I was going to ask if I could kiss you.."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon's smile grows, his deep blue eyes sparkling with love. "Of course," he answers, taking Damian's hand in his encouragingly._ _ _ _ _ _

______After he got over his sudden shyness and fear, Damian sits down on the bed in front of Jon and looks into beautiful eyes, instantly feeling weak. With a slight tilt of his head he leans forward for the kiss, nose brushing against Jon's slightly. He brings a free hand to the back of the younger's neck and lets his hand tangle into the still damp strands of feathery soft hair._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon leans forward slightly as well, supporting himself with one hand on the mattress and the other intertwined with Damian's. He parts his lips slightly and breaths in deeply, loving how fresh and clean Damian smelled. He sighs into the kiss, all his former worries and trauma melting away._ _ _ _ _ _

______Sighing slightly, Damian kisses Jon's nose as he takes a breath and as soon as his own head wasn't swimming from a lack of oxygen, he plants a teasing peck on Jon's bottom lip, pinkish red from the contact. The elder parts his lips and deepens the kiss, scooting closer so their chests were flush against each other._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon closes his eyes as Damian leans in after he catches his breath, letting go of Damian's hand to wrap his arms around his neck. "Mmm," Jon hums quietly, smiling into the kiss._ _ _ _ _ _

Damian was practically moving into Jon's lap now, but was hesitant and he broke the kiss for a second. _Maybe I shouldn't move so quickly._ So he just stays put where he is and goes in for another kiss. 

______Jon grows a little restless as Damian continues kissing him. As much as he loved where they were, he longed for more. So he pushes Damian down on his bed so he's laying on his back and shifts so he can comfortably kiss him. "Is this okay?" he asks gently, pecking him on the cheek._ _ _ _ _ _

______Biting his lip slightly as he was laid onto his back. Damian gives a knowing nod and whines for another kiss quietly. "Hmm," he hums softly, feeling small kisses on his cheek that he wished were on his lips instead._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon intertwines their legs as he dives in for another kiss, opening his mouth immediately this time._ _ _ _ _ _

______Surprised a tiny bit, Damian lets Jon take control of the kiss, feeling his face heat up with the intense pressure of soft lips against his. His lips part enough and he feels the younger kissing him with an open mouth eagerly._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon presses his tongue against Damian's experimentally, grinning when it draws a groan out of the older boy. He's about to go even further until he hears a knock on his door, only able to pull away from Damian a little before the door is opened suddenly. Lois is in the middle of saying something- probably about dinner- but stops when she sees the position the two boys are in._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Oh..." She blinks and shuts the door slowly, calling to them as she leaves. "Have fun, boys!"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian's whole face flushes red and he yelps under his breath and once the door closes he stares up at Jon who was equally red as he was._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon doesn't take his eyes off the door for a few seconds after his mother leaves, turning his head slowly to stare at Damian. "Oh... my god." His heart is pounding furiously fast in his chest, and he has to focus on steadying his breathing for a little. "That was terrifying."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"I thought we were about to _die_ ," he says, pupils still blown wide from the scare and from their makeout session._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon stares at Damian for a while longer before bursting into a giggle fit, rolling off Damian and lying down on his back beside him. They smile up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling for a little, furiously in love._ _ _ _ _ _

______When Damian's cheeks hurt from the laughter, he reaches his hand blindly for Jon's, intertwining their fingers gently. "I love you." Damian says it hesitantly. He did in fact _love_ Jon. He loved him with all of his heart and then some, but wasn't quite sure the other _loved_ him back._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I love you too," Jon says without a moment of hesitation. And suddenly he's back on Damian, pressing small kisses to his mouth, nose, cheeks, forehead, anything and everything. He needs to let Damian know how much he loves him._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian smiles sweetly and basks in his happiness, taking in every kiss that Jon gave him. Small laughs start back up, and he dreamily stares at his boyfriend, lovestruck._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon laughs along with Damian, ceasing his kisses for a moment to gaze at the Boy Wonder. He's breathless from Damian's pure beauty and caresses his face lovingly._ _ _ _ _ _

______Whatever he did to deserve Jon, he was thankful for it. Everything he did was worth it to have Jon's precious laughter ring in his ears, worth getting to fade into crystal blue eyes, worth getting to kiss and be kissed by baby pink lips. Damian almost didn't even want to go eat dinner now, it completely slipped his mind._ _ _ _ _ _

______As if reading his thoughts, Jon sits up fully and says, “Better go eat dinner while it's still warm, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Dramatically sighing but smiling, Damian nods and sits up, still only inches away from Jon. "Yes, we should,"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon takes Damian's hand and kisses him one last time on the lips before standing and pulling him along to the dining table. Lois gives them a knowing smile as they sit down, and Jon is sure she'll never stop bugging him about it. _At least she didn't freak out,_ Jon thinks gratefully._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian does his best to keep a calm straight face, but ends up blushing madly to ruin it. As he eats his dinner he can't help the small smile that's displayed across his face, sneaking glances at Jon whenever he could. _Things did work out._ Maybe he should have faith a little more often, seeing as to where it got him right now._ _ _ _ _ _

______Throughout dinner Clark is completely clueless, laughing and talking as if he were the only one at the table. Jon is grateful for the distraction from his burning cheeks and laughs along with his father, unaware of the glances Damian was sneaking at him._ _ _ _ _ _

______Lois decides that her husband is clearly unaware of the two boys’ _obvious_ feelings towards each other, but keeps quiet on the matter. _He should be able to figure it out for himself. Hopefully._  
When their all finished with dinner, Damian stands and offers to clean up to which Lois responds with a polite thank you, but it's Jon's turn to do the dishes anyways. Damian shrugs and says that he'll help, so Lois takes the hint and drags her husband into the living room to watch some tv._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon starts washing the dishes and hands them to Damian to dry and put in the dish rack. While they work, Jon can't stop smiling._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian looks over and up at Jon who was grinning like an idiot and it makes him smirk to himself as he leans over and presses a quick kiss to Jon's cheek then continues washing the dishes, bubbles covering his hands, filling his stomach with a light feeling he couldn't quite explain._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon's smile can only widen as he feels Damian's lips press gently on his cheek. He leans slightly into the small kiss, feeling a little empty when it ends. He chases after Damian's lips, promptly forgetting about the dishes._ _ _ _ _ _

______Ducking and bending backwards some, he successfully maintains out of reach of Jon, smirking and chuckling at Jon's attempts to catch Damian into a kiss once more. "You'll have to do better than this, Kent!"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon scowls, scoops a handful of bubbles up from the sink, and throws them right at Damian's face._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Jonathan!" He half yelps, half growls, batting at the bubbles that were stuck in his hair furiously. Damian reaches his hand into the bubble filled sink and blows some into Jon's face with a cackle._ _ _ _ _ _

______"You're asking for it," Jon says, wiping the bubbles off his face with a shit-eating grin. He gathers a few more handfuls of bubbles and reaches for Damian's face._ _ _ _ _ _

______He opened his mouth to fire back a retort but is greeted with a handful of soapy bubbles and it was too late to back away. "Agh!" Small giggles and empty threats leave his mouth as Damian grabs onto Jon's shoulders for support while trying not to stumble._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon laughs as Damian stumbles around, face full of soapy foam. Jon reaches for him and holds his arms so he won't fall, enjoying the moment of bliss._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Boy's, we're about to watch a movie if you want to--" Clark walks into the kitchen calmly and eyes the two, who were a soapy mess as they laughed and stumbled around the kitchen. He expressed a subtle look of confusion as he leaned against the kitchen archway. "Oh?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"D-dad!" Jon exclaims, still not letting go of Damian. "We uh- we haven't finished the dishes. Sorry." Jon rubs the back of his neck sheepishly._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Uh huh." Clark nods his head, holding back a chuckle to spare their pride. Damian was desperately trying (and failing) to hide his blush but he never moved away from Jon. After clearing his throat he speaks somewhat calmly. "Jon and I will be out shortly."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Clark nods at them and exits, leaving the boys in a flustered mess for the second time that night.  
"This has been the most eventful week in my life," Jon tells Damian, letting him go with a weak chuckle._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian only shrugs. "Hm, I don't think anything can top dying and coming back to life for me." He retorts jokingly. Granted, this was a very close second._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon chuckles. "It won't happen again," he assures Damian confidently. "I'll make sure of that."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"I'm confident you will." He replies softly, grabbing the hand towel by the sink then droops it over Jon's hair which still had soap suds in it. "You want to go watch that movie?" Damian jabs a thumb over his shoulder to where the living room was with a smirk on his face._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon smiles as Damian rubs the soap bubbles off his head gently, leaning into the touch. "Actually..." Jon says slowly. "I was wondering if we could do something else? _Without_ my parents.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______"But-- _oh_." Damian won't admit that his heart rate picks up suddenly, and he _certainly_ won't admit that a light pink dusts his cheeks and he nods without a word. He quickly finishes getting the bubbles out of Jon's hair, not really worrying much about himself, and puts the rag back in its place, eyeing the blue eyed boy curiously._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Yeah." Jon can't help but grin as Damian picks up on his meaning, face growing red. "Uh- one sec. Don't want my mom interrupting us again."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Hey mom! Me and Dami are gonna hang out for a little! Enjoy your movie!" he calls from the kitchen._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Sure, Jon!" comes the immediate reply. "Don't let us ruin your fun!"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon gulps, eyes flittering back to Damian. "I'm still a little weirded out about how my mom is just fine with us. In a good way though!"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Pressing his lips together, the elder rocks back on his heels, bewildered himself as to why Lois was not interested in interrogating the two boys or lecturing them; something that Damian was sure of his older siblings might do._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Ask questions later," he adds, slowly walking towards the kitchen's exit. "Act now." A small smirk replaces the flustered look that was previously displayed on his face._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon trails after him, a small buzzing in his mind. Once they make it to his room Jon closes the door gently. The moment is so surreal Jon has to stop and do a double take. When he comes back Damian is still there and still has that stupid (and somewhat sexy) smirk on his face. It's almost completely dark in his room, the only bit of light streaming through his window from the moon and stars. It sets the mood perfectly._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian decides to take it slow, resisting the strong urge to outright push Jon onto the bed and go from there. His steps are drawn out and silent from his years and years of training, not making a single sound as he's within arm's reach of Jon. He stops and lets his eyes roam over soft and handsome facial features before he brings a ginger yet firm hand up to the boy's chin, pulling him towards Damian's lips slowly._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon lets his eyes flutter closed as Damian pulls him toward his lips. The dominating move sends sparks flying through his body, and he finds a small noise escapes his mouth halfway between a whimper and a moan. He isn't quite sure what to do with his hands, letting them stay balled into fists at his sides before bringing them up to Damian's waist._ _ _ _ _ _

______Something inside Damian melts as he hears the tiny noise from Jon, the boy's breath ghosting over his lips sending shivers down his spine. He suppresses a smirk and only deepens the kiss as he feels two hands at his sides, and Damian slowly guides them back _away_ from the bed to the wall teasingly._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon tries not to make too much noise, not wanting to go through the embarrassment of having one of his parents walking on them _again_. Jon stumbles a bit as Damian walks him backwards into the wall, but regains his balance quickly. He responds to the kiss eagerly, tilting his head a little so Damian has more access to his mouth._ _ _ _ _ _

______The slow kisses turn open mouthed as he presses Jon into the wall, careful not to make a sound. Damian's hand moves to Jon's chest and grabs onto the fabric gently. Feeling light headed from lack of air he pulls away, panting heavily. Within the second, Damian brings his knee up slowly between Jon's legs, brushing against the pants fabric on the boy's inner thigh then goes back to chase after pink lips before any sound escaped them._ _ _ _ _ _

______Any sound Jon would've made is swallowed up by Damian's lips, and his eyes shoot open startlingly. He moves his hands from Damian's hips to his neck, one hand stroking his hair gently while the other grabs onto his neck for support. He feels his legs turning to jelly beneath him._ _ _ _ _ _

______Pleased with every little whimper and tremble coming from the Kryptonian, Damian openes his eyelids halfway and gives the most lust struck gaze he could muster, pulling away once again from the kiss to smirk devilishly. His hand gingerly and ever so slowly moves from Jon's chest to his hip, fingers slightly pressing right above the waistband to the shorts that the younger was wearing._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon resists the urge to pull off his short himself and swallows his pride, captured by Damian's seductive gaze. He licks his lips as Damian moves painfully slow. "C'mon," Jon finally urges with a whine. He grabs Damian's wrist impatiently._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian bites down on his lip slightly, wanting desperately to do as told. He holds off a bit longer, slipping his hand into Jon's shorts, craning his neck to press kisses on the not so tender skin of the boy's neck, irritated he couldn't leave any marks. Grunting, he slowly pulls down the loose shorts but leaves on the boxers, letting his hands roam over Jon's hips. Damian had pulled his knee back from In between the taller boy's legs but almost harshly and instantly finds it back in the space, pressing slightly upwards, careful not to hurt him._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon groans, immediately smothering the noise once he realizes it's coming from him. He tugs a little harder than intended on Damian's hair when his knee pressed against his crotch, and he loosens his grip nervously. _Oops...__ _ _ _ _ _

______Green eyes flicker up to somewhat nervous irises, and he doesn't know either to shrug, laugh or press further into Jon. He decides a reassuring kiss would do the job and after he pulls away, his lips brush over the already melting boy's cheek bone and whispers lowly. "I'm guessing you like that?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon nods, face flushed red even though they'd hardly done anything yet. _Yet._ The thought makes Jon want to speed things along, but he forces himself to remain submissive. _For Dami.__ _ _ _ _ _

______With a smirk reforming at his lips, Damian leans off of Jon and grabs his wrists tugging him back towards the bed, heart racing faster than it ever has before. The lack of contact was _killing_ him, but he wanted to go slow and--for this time--Damian liked being dominant, dictating exactly what Jon felt, what sounds he made. It made him _unbelievably_ weak and aroused._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon lets Damian pull him to his bed, scooting backward on it and propping himself up slightly on his elbows. He watches Damian crawl over him, the moon's glow framing his smaller body. His emerald green eyes are slightly narrowed and sparkle with such an absurd emotion Jon can't help but blink to make sure he's not dreaming. Nope. Still there._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian crawls onto the bed, one knee on either side of Jon's hips so he could straddle him. Without thinking, he grabs at the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up and over exposing his tan and scarred skin. Chuckling as he tosses the clumped up fabric at the younger's face, he slips both hands under Jon's shirt, roaming over smooth and almost baby soft skin._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon removes Damian's shirt from his face, tossing it to the floor. He's transfixed by the elder's gorgeously defined body, and he doesn't tear his gaze away even when he feels him start to feel around under his shirt. He whines a little, resisting the urge to flip them over so he's on top._ _ _ _ _ _

______Lips dying for something to press against, Damian pulls off Jon's shirt completely overwhelmed with how built Jon was getting. Sure Damian had muscle, but he was lean and had to work for that. Jonathan was _already_ so cut and muscular. He leans down, placing his hands at either side of broad shoulders and gives sweet kisses along the pale skin that bathed in the moonlight that cast through the window._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon presses a gentle kiss against Damian's ear as he moves downwards and lets himself fall completely flush against the mattress, sighing. The little kisses being trailed along his now bare skin untenses every muscle in his body._ _ _ _ _ _

______While he's giving quick loving kisses and reveling in the warmth of the body under him, his hips slowly rock down against Jon's. He was starting to get tight in his own pants, he couldn't imagine how it was for Jon._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon brings a hand up to his face quickly to prevent himself from making any noise, eyes closing tightly. His other hand gathers a bit of the sheets beneath them and squeezes. His breath comes out in short pants as Damian grinds down on his hard-on. _Oh my god oh my god,_ he chants in his mind._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian sort of moans hearing the soft and quick noises but muffles it by kissing once more on Jon's abdomen and he finally reaches the teen's waist once again. He shifts his weight from off of his hands to move one down and palms the member, a familiar throbbing starting to make itself known in Damian's own pants._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon miraculously manages to keep quiet, arching up against Damian's touch. He moves his hand to Damian's hair, tangling his fingers in the strands._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian makes a low mumbling sound as he unhurriedly slips Jon's boxers down, down, down, below his waist, _finally_ exposing his fully erect cock. He licks his lips and his eyes flicker up to Jon's face, desperately trying to keep the noises at bay._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon tugs on Damian's hair gently, urging him onward._ _ _ _ _ _

______After sizing Jon up, he moves a hand and firmly grasps his length, stroking gently before giving it a few good pumps, pressing his thumb at the tip then parts his lips and plants a few small kisses along the teen's boner._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Mhh-!" Jon whimpers, letting his neck fall back onto his pillow. He can't do anything but react at this point. Damian is fully in charge._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian loses himself more and more each time her hears the sounds of pleasure leave Jon, and he quickens the pace. His eyelids flutter closed and with his free hand he blindly grabs onto Jon's thigh applying even more pressure. To steel himself he encloses his mouth over Jon's cock and groans loudly._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon takes in shaky breaths and continues tugging on Damian's hair. He spreads his fingers so he has more control over Damian's head movements._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian bobs his head up and down slowly, hollowing his cheeks and exhaling deeply. The guiding movements at the back of his head arouse him even further and a low whine is muffled by the length in his mouth._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon bucks his hips slightly, careful not to accidentally suffocate his partner. He feels an intense heat beginning to form steadily in his abdomen._ _ _ _ _ _

He guessed Jon was getting close, making Damian feel like he was falling behind. He goes down once more and sucks hard before pulling off with a _pop_ , panting as he wiped his mouth. Eyelids falling halfway down and pupils blown slightly, his hand fumble to try to get off his pants. 

______Jon reaches forward to help Damian, tugging the pants off swiftly and sitting up in the process. He can hear Damian's heart racing in his chest and swallows._ _ _ _ _ _

Damian leans back against the bed's headboard and pulls Jon closer to him by the shoulders, still mildly panting and trying hard not to cry out from the lack of attention his hard-on was getting at the moment. _Just be patient,_ he reminds himself, slowly gaining a regular breathing pattern that becomes harder to maintain once his boxers are off. 

______Jon takes Damian's hand in his, pressing it against his lips gently and sighing as he waits for Damian's breathing to regulate._ _ _ _ _ _

______This time, his brings a hand to his mouth, lightly biting down as a shaky whimper fights through his teeth and his jade eyes pour over Jon as the boy's velvety lips greet his hand, sending sparks all throughout Damian's body._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon looks up with half lidded eyes at Damian's flustered face, curious. It looked like he liked it, so Jon nips at the meat of his palm slightly with his teeth._ _ _ _ _ _

______Damian breathes out weakly through his mouth and he bites harder on his own hand. "J-Jon.." he gives him a warning glance as his face flushes furthermore._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jon presses his tongue against Damian's slender hand, sucking lightly. He keeps his eyes pointed up so he can watch Damian's reaction._ _ _ _ _ _

_Oh my fucking God. _Damian gasps sharply, eyes glazing over but he tries hard to look at Jon while he sucks on his hand. He bites his lip hard then leans forward, desperately wanting to give a wet, sloppy kiss.__

________Jon let's go of Damian's hand, a thin trail of saliva connecting his mouth to Damian's palm. He leans to meet Damian's lips, colliding messily with the older boy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He moans into Jon's mouth and grabs his hips, bringing them close together once more. Without being told, he wraps his slick hand around Jon's cock and pumps hurriedly, bringing his free hand up to the teen's cheek and guides him through the kiss and trying to clean it up at the same time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jon pulls away from the kiss briefly, grabbing Damian's wrist. "Hold on," he says hoarsely, scooting backwards a bit and lowering himself down so he's facing Damian's erection. "I want to do what you did," he explains eagerly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Allowing Jon to pull away, his hand comes off and he licks his lips, head foggy with arousal. The rushed words, the desire in Jon's voice made Damian nods several times, accepting the teen's advances while waves of pleasure coarse through his body._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jon licks his red lips, just staring at the length in front of him for a few seconds, trying to decide how to start. _Eh... fk it. _He leans forward and engulfs an inch of Damian's hard-on sloppily. It's not nearly as well done as Damian's blowjob, but he makes up for it by constantly sucking and moving his tongue along the bottom. He slowly works his way down, eventually getting nearly all of Damian's length in his mouth. He breaths through his nose heavily, trying to suppress his gag reflex.__

Damian does a good job of keeping his moans and cries from slipping out by focusing on exhaling through his nose and biting his tongue slightly. He looks down, deciding Jon looks _amazingly _sexy like this but notices the trouble the younger is having. Holding back his smirk was difficult, mostly because he found a bit of amusement in how hard the boy was trying. "Hum, Jon. You won't gag that way." He manages the softest voice he can and brings a hand to Jon's dark hair and twirls the strands between his fingers.__

____________Jon does as he's told and starts humming, getting the rest of Damian's length in his mouth. He looks up at Damian, eyes sparkling with unspoken pride at his achievement._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"F-ff-ah!" He wants to buck his hips forwards, but doesn't want to kill the mood if he ends up choking Jon, using the hand at his hair to guide Jon's head so he would go faster. _I’m close I'm close I'm close-!_

____________Jon lets Damian guide his head movement, feeling Damian's erection pulsing slightly. He focuses on pleasuring Damian as much as he can before his orgasm, sucking and humming furiously._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A low throaty moan is all he remembers making, the corners of his vision going white as he climaxes and it's a long time before he regains focus. _Way_ longer than it's ever taken him before. He didn't realize that he had been mumbling and crying Jon's name and he flushes red when he finally recalls it. 

____________Jon makes a startled noise as Damian's seed shoots into his throat and pulls off, trying to figure out what to do with it. The taste starts getting a little unbearable so Jon swallows it, not wanting to get up and find a place to spit it out. He wipes his mouth and sits back up fully, grinning at Damian. "That was awesome."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Uh--y-yeah." He finds himself smiling sheepishly, face still rose tinted. "Sorry... uh I guess I should have.. said something?" Since it was obvious it was Jon's first time, (Not that Damian thought it was a bad thing because it was remarkably satisfying and adorable helping Jon and being the teen's first) he probably hadn't ever tasted the liquid before and Damian was sure it shocked him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"No, it's okay!" Jon reassures Damian hastily. "You seemed pretty distracted." Jon smirks, recalling how Damian had been calling his name like he'd never see him again. Jon presses a kiss against Damian's cheek, his own erection beginning to ebb away slowly between his legs._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Damian purses his lips, blush deepening as he forces on a scowl. "Whatever." He looks down at Jon's lower half and raises an eyebrow. "You didn't...did you? Did I miss something?" Hands move and rest gently on Jon's thighs, moving up and down lightly so they were barely in contact with his skin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"No, I didn't. It's alright though!" Jon eyez Damian's hands as they caress his thighs, smiling to himself. Any time Damian showed his soft side, Jon appreciated it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Damian frowns slightly, and scoots closer, shifting so his weight was resting on his knees, making him slightly taller than Jon. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel inadequate, I want you to have pleasure too." It was sincere and loving, and he kept his hands at Jon's thighs even as blue eyes stare down at them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Is okay, Dami. Next time." Jon smiles at his new boyfriend. "Didn't know you cared so much," he teases, pressing a quick kiss to his nose._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Of course I care," he scoffs but his heart was glittering at there being a _next time._ He hoped there would be lots of next times for that matter. Jon was absolutely _amazing._ He loves all the small kisses, all the soothing words, his hair, his skin, all of the beautiful noises, all of him. Damian's hands slightly push into Jon's thighs as he leans forward to trap the boy's soft-still red-lips in a passionate kiss, slow like how they had first started all of this out. 

____________Jon responds to the kiss gently, placing his hands on Damian's waist like he had before. It's so soft and gentle Jon giggles into the kiss, rubbing circles into Damian's bare skin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Once he's satisfied with the kiss, Damian slowly pulls away, lips lingering slightly over Jon's as the giggles continue and he can't help but smile. With sparking green eyes, he stares deep into aquamarine irises when he speaks. "I know that you've been through hell, Jon. But I'm so happy it led to this. To us,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Jon's eyes shine with an unexplainable emotion. He smiles bittersweetly. "Me too." He takes Damian's hands in his own and says, "I'm... really sorry for hurting you. When you screamed it was like... I was being ripped in two."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He winces slightly, like something just stabbed his heart. "I.. I know. I don't blame you at all. I also didn't think _you_ were still there for that. You shouldn't have seen me like that." His shoulders dip, but his intense stare with Jon never wavers. 

____________Jon brings one of his hands up to Damian's face and kisses him slowly on the lips. "...I love you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"And I, you.." he revels in the kiss, and pulls Jon close to his chest afterwards. "Please, please don't ever leave me again.." Damian's voice breaks a bit but he knows he's done with tears, so he digs his nose into the layers of Jon's hair to steady his breathing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Jon hugs Damian tight, heart breaking when his voice falters a little. "I won't," Jon promises, stroking Damian's hair gently. They sit like that for a while, soaking up the moment. Jon moves to lay them down on his bed, drawing the covers over them so they wouldn't be found sleeping together naked. Jon still holds Damian close, refusing to let go._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Out of nowhere, Damian randomly thinks of earlier when Jon was Superboy Black and they were in the clearing. "I lied when I said you looked better in blue and red." He pauses, smirking a little to himself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Jon frowns at Damian. "How dare you," he says, chuckling. "Blue and red is way more lively than black."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I'm going to have to agree to disagree with you on that. You would look _very_ attractive in a black suit." He stares off with a smirk, as if he was already picturing it in his mind. 

____________Jon grunts and tucks that piece of information somewhere in his brain for later. "Sure, Dami. Whatever you say."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Damian grins to himself and snuggles close, facing towards Jon's chest and snaking his arms through his, nuzzling into his lover's warmth. "Goodnight, beloved."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Goodnight, little prince." Jon chuckles to himself at the nickname and kisses Damian's forehead tenderly. He closes his eyes and sleeps without nightmares for the first time in weeks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue: 2 months later, Jon shows up at Damian's window wearing a jet black superman suit with red and white accents and Damian looses his shit


	8. Stuck (Halbarry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Incomplete! We decided to stop this one because we didn't know how to continue. We hope you enjoy anyways!
> 
> Barry and Hal are locked in the Watchtower shower room. Whelp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Barry  
> SAS as Hal

No matter how much Hal wished the Legion of Doom would just give it a rest for at _least_ a week, that never seemed to be granted. The fight had been long, spanning well into the night... morning? Hal wasn't too sure. He couldn't tell since he didn't have his phone, and back in the Watchtower it was just space when you looked out of the windows. He also wished he had remembered to pay his rent for his apartment so he didn't have to use the Watchtower's showers. Not that they were terrible. (Anything is better than his apartment shower, honestly.) There was just a lack of privacy, and Hal was pretty sure Batsy had cameras EVERYWHERE in this place.

Barry was more than relieved to wash off at the Watchtower after the Justice League's battle with the Legion of Doom. It always got a little stuffy under his Flash suit, which made him sweat and consequently- stink. He lets the warm water wash over him for a moment after he's done, soothing all the soreness from the fight. After a while of enjoying the sound and feeling of his shower, he steps out from behind the curtain and reaches for his towel.

Heck was way too tired to even notice before that someone else was in the room with him, but he shrugs it of and continues scrubbing at his thick brown hair, rinsing quickly so the shampoo wouldn't get in his eyes. After a few more minutes of treating his hair--obviously his favorite part-- he rinses one last time and shuts off the water, eyes droopy from a lack of sleep. Hal blindly reaches out from the curtain and snags his towel, and dries off for a bit, lightly humming a tune he'd heard earlier that day.

Barry hears the familiar humming of none other than Hal Jordan. As the blonde wraps his towel around his waist, he sees Hal reaching for his at the same time. Barry doesn't think much of it, and sits down on a bench to dry his hair in a few seconds. He's about to take off when the door shuts suddenly and a small click is heard, making Barry jump slightly. _What...?_

Hal, thinking whoever was in here had left, starts fully singing the chorus to the song not really knowing most of the words. He wraps the towel around his waist and waltzes out of the shower doing a little shuffle as he exits. He spins around, and nearly screeches when he see's _Barry Allen_ sitting on the bench and Hal's eyes widen, and his _absolutely beautiful_ (not) voice stops mid-lyric. "Shit! I think I almost had a heart attack!" _What??? I thought he would have left?? Had there been someone else in here too?!_

The speedster is frozen for a brief moment when he sees Hal exit his shower and turn around. His mouth opens and closes a few times, and his baby blue eyes flicker to the door quickly. _Why would they do that?_ Who _did it?_ Barry shakes his head as if physically attempting to clear his thoughts and stares up at Hal. "Sorry 'bout that. Someone locked us in here."

"Uhh," He trails off, brows knitting slightly as he glances over to the door, then back down at Barry. "It's okay." Hal is kind of tongue tied, several thoughts occurring to him. _I’m locked in a room with the Flash. He just saw me.. dance. He just heard me screech out words and call it 'singing'. We're locked in a room together. In towels._ He clears his throat, forcing his mind back to the current problem. "It's aight, I have me ring over here with my clooooothes--" he shuffles over awkwardly to the other end of the bench where he had a bag filled with his clothes and showering stuff. Only one thing: the bag was _empty_. Completely empty! Except for.. an energy bar? That had probably been in there a while. Hmph.

Barry watches Hal warily, biting back a snicker when his face morphs into one of confusion. His nose is all scrunched up and it looks really cute- _Crap, no, not cute. It doesn't look cute at all- dammit._ Barry's eyes wander down from Hal's face to his bare chest and abs, cheeks heating up slightly. He turns away quickly and leans his head against the wall behind him, sighing. _Who knows how long we'll be stuck in here... naked. At least they didn't take our towels... that would've been disastrous._

"Ughhh-!" Hal groans loudly and kicks the bag irritably. "I'll kick 'them asshat's asses!" He gives a huff, leaning back against the wall and his lips curl into a snarl. _Well this is great. Just great. I'm hungry. No, I'm tired. I just wanna get out of here…_ Hal glances over at Barry who was now turned away from him, pale shoulders greeting--no no, meeting. Not greeting. He didn't care to look at Barry's back. Nope--his brown eyes.

"Agreed," Barry says, running a hand through his still damp hair. "This is not cool at all. I mean, what was the point...?"

He slumps back, mind already at full capacity and ready for sleep. With a shrug, Hal sighs and looks around, checking for any cameras or anything Bats or Diana could use to spy on them. "Well, B kinda hates me. But I'm a pretty swell guy, right? Dunno why he'd _lock me in the shower room._ " Hal shakes his head, trying to keep dark brown strands of hair from sticking to his forehead.

Barry heaves a sigh, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor. _Guess we'll just have to make small talk to pass the time..._ "So, Hal, how've you been?"

Hal pointedly looks at Barry with kind eyes, even though there was exhaustion behind them. "I'm good, I guess. I'm kinda just worn out. Bein' a space cop _and_ a leaguer is tough." He takes in a breath, holding it for a second. "But not that I don't love it! I'd never quit or anything. Uhm-" he coughs awkwardly and shuts his mouth before he said something else stupid.

"Yeah, I hear ya. The old Bats works us hard." Barry stretches with a groan, trying to work out all knots in his muscles. "Hardly leaves any time for hobbies."

It's hard _not_ to stare at Barry, his toned arms, pretty peach skin, flawless-- _Fucking hell_.  
"Hobbies? Do you have hobbies?" He smirks and quirks an eyebrow curiously.

"Yeah, I dabble with the sciences a bit," Barry says vaguely. "How about you?"

"I test pilot planes.. well, used to, anyways. Pretty sure i'm fired now." Hal chuckles, scratching the back of his neck warily.

"I heard you singing," Barry admits. "It was good! Maybe you can explore that?"

Hal puffs out his cheeks and looks over at Barry. "Uh huhhhh suuure." Rolling his eyes slightly in disbelief and lets out a laugh.

Barry chuckles, and lets his eyes roam Hal's built figure not-so-subtly. "Hey, with practice, you could be really good!"

Oblivious to the eyes that wandered over himself, Hal smiles slightly. "Guess so." Pausing a whole 10 seconds he sighs and slumps his shoulders further. "I'm booooored Bear. There's nothin' to do."

Barry thinks for a moment before beginning to sing softly.  
" _I don't like walking around this old and empty house  
So hold my hand, I'll walk with you my dear_."

Hal's eyes widen at the man's tender voice, and he realized he _knew_ the song. _Does he want me to sing with him? Should I sing with him? I want to sing with him. _Quietly and nervously he starts, glancing at Barry.__  
" _The stairs creak as I sleep, it's keeping me awake  
It's the house telling you to close your eyes._ "

Barry's heart swells when he hears Hal begin to sing with him just like he intended. He _really_ wants to get up and dance with him, but he doesn't think his towel would stay wrapped around his waist with all the movement, so he remains sitting where he is.  
" _And some days I can't even trust myself  
It's killing me to see you this way._ " 

Hal slightly scoots closer to Barry slowly, so maybe he wouldn't notice.  
" _'Cause though the truth may vary this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore._ " He keeps turning his head to look at Barry's eyes that were sparkling, hoping to catch them. _We're singing. We're singing_ together. _This is crazy--I like it._

Barry does indeed notice, already quick heartbeat picking up even more.  
" _There's an old voice in my head_  
That's holding me back"  
He looks into Hal's warm brown eyes and almost stops singing. _Oh my God. He's perfect._  
" _Well tell her that I miss our little talks._ " 

" _Soon it will be over and buried with our past,_ " Hal was almost side by side with Barry, and he was slightly swaying to the tune and beat a small smile over his lips as he sung swiftly. " _We used to play outside when we were young, and full of life and full of love~_ " He winks at Barry flirtily before going back to facing forwards, head still swaying to the beat. 

Barry can't take his eyes off of Hal the entire time they're singing, watching him sway to the melody and trying to create harmony. He actually sounds quite nice, voice flowing and pleasing to listen to. Barry sees Hal turn his head abruptly towards him and chokes on his words when he winks.  
" _Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right_ ," Hal continues. Barry picks up on the words again nervously.  
_"Your mind is playing tricks on you my dear._ " 

A warmth settles in Hal's stomach, watching the flustered man out of the corner of his eye, but voice still warm and silky. He would say that his cheeks heated up hearing Barry say 'my dear', but Hal was almost positive he had been blushing for a while now. " _'Cause though the truth may vary this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore._ " 

" _There's an old voice in my head  
That's holding me back,_ " Barry sings, thinking of how appropriate those lyrics were in this situation. Barry was terrified of telling Hal he had a crush on him, so he never did. It didn't matter much anyways. It's not like he was in love... Or at least he didn't think so. This situation may have changed his mind. 

Hal feels himself start the lyrics, but becomes lost in thought. He tries to regain them but he just _couldn't_ keep his eyes off of Barry. Hal thoroughly enjoyed hearing his voice and thoughtful expression he wore while singing. It was really endearing.  
His flirty expression turns blank once he notices he wasn't singing anymore and Hal suddenly felt a small panic rush through him. 

Barry stops singing a line after Hal, staring at him worriedly. "You okay? Why'd you stop?" 

Hal stares dumbly at Barry for a few more seconds, panic rising in his chest. His mouth opens but no words come out at first, still unknowing of how to respond. "I um.. yeah I'm good--I just..you're pretty distracting, Allen.." Hal's eyes break away reluctantly, a poutful look upon his face. Hal wasn't ever great about processing his feelings, but he was pissed that he was especially terrible right now. 

"Oh." Barry's face heats up noticeably. "Uh- thanks?" _Don't kiss him, don't kiss him, you have a reputation to uphold-_

"You're welcome." Hal huffs, and thinks about his next move. Should he keep talking? _Well look where it's gotten you this far, dumbass. "You're pretty distracting" what kinda damn compliment is that?_ His mouth betrays him as he looks up at the ceiling light so he wouldn't have to look at Barry. "Hey Bear?" _Why did I even say that?? I don't have_ anything _planned to say next!_

"Yeah?" Barry asks, tilting his head toward his friend. _Crush would be more accurate at this point_ , he thinks. 

_Shit just.. just say something! At this point it can't get any worse._ "I think--" He starts, but he's stopped short by all of the lights being cut out, nothing but the light from the cracks in the door shining through. _Oh thank god_

Barry looks into Hal's eyes as he talks, but gets distracted when they're plunged into total darkness. "Huh. Wonder if our _friends_ did that too." 

"I have no doubt." He groans again, trying to look over in Barry's direction but not being able to distinctly make out his handsome features. _On the bright side, I can look all I want. On the not so bright side: it's dark and I can't see shit._

Barry kind of grunts and eyes the bench they're sitting on. He can just barely make out the silhouette of Hal's hand in the darkness, and reaches for it without thinking. 

Hal jumps when he feels a hand on his, but remembers it's only him and Barry in here together. That means.. _Whoa_. Was Barry trying to hold hands with him? Hal sure hoped the speedster didn't do it by accident.. he stayed still, fearing if he moved, Bear would too. 

The speedster keeps his hand on top of Hal's, listening to their breathing. The silence is a little uncomfortable, but Barry (for once) doesn't interrupt it. 

For the few extra moments Barry's hand is resting on Hal's he decides that it was _intentional_. Without a second thought, Hal shifts his hand to lace their finger and he lightly tugs on the man's arm, willing him closer. "C'mere Bear." He says softly, grinning when he gets to thinking that Barry might like Hal. It made him _crazy_ with giddiness. 

__Barry shuffles closer and rests his head awkwardly on Hal's bare shoulder, his palm growing rapidly warmer in Hal's._ _

Hal feels his heart beat quicker and quicker as soft blond hair tickles his neck, and Barry is suddenly right next to him. _His head is on my shoulder. Oh gosh_ He smirks, turning his head to look down at his teammate, wondering if he should say the obvious. "I think I like you. I think I _really_ like you." A small, breathless laugh makes him think over the whole situation. "And I'm not just sayin' that because our 'buddies' probably locked us in here to see if we would do anything." 

__Barry's stomach does a few flips, and he squeezes Hal's hand a little in his excitement. "Really?" He wishes the lights weren't out so he could look into those comforting eyes…_ _

__"Really." He confirms as the hand in his own squeezes slightly, smirk melting into a knowing smile.  
As if to answer both of their silent prayers, the lights flicker back on and along with the 'click' of a lock which Hal doesn't seem to pay much mind to, but rather to the warm body pressed up against his side._ _

__"I like you too...!" Barry says happily, giddy with joy. He pauses, thinking. "What does this mean then?"_ _

"Dunno. But I _do_ know that this means I can do this--" Hal dips his head and presses a small kiss on Barry's cute little nose, blinking brown locks of hair out of his eyes to gaze at baby blue irises. 

__Barry makes a little squeak sound as Hal leans down to kiss his nose. He can't help it! It just... escaped his throat somehow. His cheeks flush a light pink as he stares into Hal's eyes. And then he stretches up to peck Hal's cheek quickly._ _

Hal grins madly as he watches a dusty pink settle over the speedster's cheeks, heart swelling when he hears the _adorable_ sound that came from Barry. Even after Barry's lips treat him to a quick kiss, Hal finds himself unable to get over how charming the man's reaction was. "That was freakin cute, Bear." 

__"Hrnn," Barry groans, turning so he can rest his forehead on Hal's shoulder to hide his red face._ _

__Hal smiles and rests his chin overtop of Barry's head, little waves of warm static shock transferring off the speedster. "Now, if only we could get out of this place." He scoffs and rolls his eyes, still unknowing of the already unlocked door._ _

__Barry stands up abruptly. "Maybe I can!" He runs to the door and vibrates his hand experimentally. After a while of speeding up and slowing down, he sticks his hand into the locked handle. It comes unlocked with a click and Barry goes to Hal and offers his hand._ _

A thought occurs to Hal: _If he could just do that and get us both out of here, did he just want to spend time with me? How sweet._ Hal smirks devilishly at Barry, taking his hand. "And you didn't do that ages ago because..??" 

__"Mm," Barry hums. "I... wanted to talk with you! We haven't had much time to just hang out recently so I... I don't know." He bites his lip nervously. "Sorry. I'm sure you had somewhere to be."_ _

Hal laughs lightheartedly through his nose and slings his arm around Barry's shoulder. "Silly goose. Why're you sorry? I literally have _no where_ better to be." With a beaming smile, Hal adds; "And me too lil buddy. It's nice hanging out with you. We should do that more often. But you know--not in the showers." 

__Barry leans against Hal with a chuckle. "Do you wanna have dinner sometime? Maybe tonight?" He eyez his clothes next to Hal's duffle bag across the hall. "After we get dressed."_ _

"Uh, _yeah_!" He gives a shit-eating grin and is about to give Barry a kiss on the cheek when he notices Diana, Bruce and Clark standing nonchalantly in the doorway that led out to the zeta tubes. _Bastards._

__"Watch this," Barry whispers into Hal's ear. He runs over to the big three and pulls Bruce and Clark's capes over their heads before sprinting back under Hal's arm._ _

Bruce glares _dangerously_ at Barry, starting to step forward before Clark loosely grabs his shoulder. "We probably deserved that anyways." The Kryptonian says chuckling, and Diana was trying very hard to keep it together.  
"Oh, look at the time--" Hal brings up his wrist that had no watch on it and starts walking away quickly, tugging Barry along with him. "--Gonna be late for that thing. In Central city. Bad guy stuff." 

__Barry snickers, snatching up his clothes and Hal's duffle before they walk away. He pulls his shirt above his head quickly and leans into Hal's warmth once more._ _

__Diana looks at them warily as they exit the room. "It would be most hilarious if they exited still wearing the towels."  
While still walking, Hal awkwardly tugs on his shirt and shoves his hand into his duffle, fishing out his wrong and putting willing his Green Lantern suit on, just until he got the chance to put actual pants on. "You already know they probably recorded us, right?"_ _

__"Eh, let 'em," Barry says with a grin. He slips on his ring and activates his suit as well. "Maybe we can get a video of Superman and Bats."_ _

Hal laughs under his breath as they near the zeta tubes. "Maybe. We might die in the process though," he glances over at Barry, eyes going soft looking at the speedster. _Man, he's cute._ Especially _when he's scheming up somethin._ He thinks, tapping in the coordinates for Central City. 


	9. Blow Up (Halbarry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a near-death experience, Hal wants to spend some intimate time with Barry, but Barry doesn't.
> 
> AKA. Hal was a playboy and Barry is afraid he wants to have impure sex instead of pure sex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Barry  
> SAS as Hal
> 
> We didn't finish this either. It was getting to unrealistic for the characters to even be having this agrument in the first place.
> 
> More Halbarry coming guys
> 
> We're trying

It was another Justice League mission, almost 'routine' in a way. But things went south _very_ quick. They went into battle to face the League of Doom, but it was a trap, and they came prepared to kidnap some of the superheroes. They actually got Superman pretty quickly, and Oliver (granted, he didn't stay locked up quickly. But they had all planned for that as well, and that's how he got his leg broken. 2 men down.) The rest of the JL had to formulate a plan, but also had to revise for accounted traps and arch nemesis waiting for them there. Once they located where Superman and Green Arrow were being held, they booked it there and busted in, fighting off goons and guards. But they only sent one person in to retrieve their teammates; Hal. This way, if there was a big trap meant for all of them, he would only get trapped, and his ring could protect him. It worked too, and once he was trapped, the rest of the Justice League came in and dished it _out_. Someone from the outside, not determined, saw this and decided to send that base up in flames, aiming with everyone in it. The fire raged, and Martian Manhunter was down. Everyone got out with their lives, and others, if they had to carry someone out. Not one got out unscratched, and it was truly a near death experience for the ones who wouldn't survive the explosion.  
It made Hal think about how one day they could end up really getting hurt doing this. Worse. Hal didn't fear death, he wasn't supposed to. He only feared and worried for those that would miss him if he was gone…

Barry would never get used to almost dying on a regular basis. Sure, he played it off like it was just part of his everyday life and it was no big deal, but missions like these where everyone he loved plus him could die were... terrifying.  
Ever since he started dating Hal, things had thankfully gotten better. They'd talk about their missions and work out any lingering fear together. If one woke up from a nightmare, the other would be right there to comfort him. It was comforting knowing there was someone out there who knew he lead a double life and who he trusted with his life.  
So there they were; sitting in their apartment after the mission just relaxing.

Hal was slumped into the plush brown couch in the living room, head resting in Barry's lap with an arm tucked around the man's waist. He had just finished saying how he couldn't believe how everyone survived, how he was extremely grateful. He buried his face into Barry's shirt, and heaved a long sigh. "Bear.. you ever think about..or--do you ever get scared that one day, you'll die, and you never got the chance to do the things you wanted? Like, you felt like you shoulda done somthin’ but never did. And now you're gone.." he trailed off, knowing what he said was probably confusing and maybe made no sense whatsoever.

Barry strokes Hal's hair gently. "Hm," he hums thoughtfully. "Can't say I do. Why?"

After biting his lip and trying to think of how to correctly phrase his words, hoping not to hit any sensitive spots, Hal says, "I don't want to lose you--I don't want us to loose _each other_.. when there's still so much to do. I'm always worried about that, when we go out on missions at least. It's not that I don't think you can't take care of yourself though.." he huffs out a small breath through his nose, nuzzling up closer to his boyfriend.

"I don't want to lose you either, Hal," Barry says, wondering where his boyfriend was going with this. He twirls a few strands of Hal's soft brown hair on his finger and slowly untangles the mess.

Warm tingles spread across Hal's scalp against Barry's warm static touch, and he began to press light kisses into the speedster's abdomen, sadly covered by his shirt. After each kiss, his arm that was slung around the man's waist tightened and rubbed along his lower back smoothly.

Barry tenses slightly, but tries to stay still for Hal. He silently hopes he doesn't go any lower, dreading disappointing Hal by saying "no".  
"I'm not going anywhere, y'know," Barry laughs, trying to distract himself. The light kisses do feel nice against his sore skin, and the hand working at his lower back relaxes him slightly.

Hal nods slightly as he continues to give his small kisses, but stops and shifts so he's not lying on the couch anymore. He's still practically in Barry's lap, but closer to a halfway-on-halfway-off-the-couch position. He slightly whines and rolls the soft shirt fabric up, making sure his kisses hit the man's warm skin.

Barry pushes Hal away slightly, cupping his jaw gently. "Hal," he says, trying to get his attention. "You know what I'm not comfortable with."

Hal more or less exhales the breath he had been holding in, trying his hide his frown. His gaze drops, attention gained but brown eyes trailing away, anywhere over Barry's body but his face. "About that..." Hal starts, heaving in a big breath of air. "I.. I respect you, Barry. And what you are and aren't comfortable with. It's just.." He trails off, not being able to find the right words to express what he wanted to say. No, Hal wasn't a horndog who _lived_ for sex. He wasn't. But that's probably what it looked like right now.

"And I respect you. But until I'm ready you're gonna have to wait," Barry says with finality.

"I--Barry..I can't explain what I'm trying to say. I don't want sex. I mean I do--it's not for the sex though, babe. It's.. I don't know how to put this to words.." Hal slides off the couch onto the ground space between the coffee table, just bewildered of what he would have to do to at some-point have Barry say 'ok.' He got to thinking, and became noticeably worried when he realized: _Maybe Barry just doesn't love me the way I love him. What if he doesn't understand? Hell, I don't even fully understand it myself.._

"I'm sorry, I just... I don't want it to become what it was with all your other partners. I want it to be special," Barry tries, looking down at the man he loves. For a moment, he almost thinks he's being too cautious, but he shakes the thought off. _It's for Hal. I don't want him to go back to how he used to be._

Hal leans back, to where he's using the coffee table for support now. _So Barry doesn't think I love him..that I just want this to end up like every other--_  
"This isn't _about_ those other relationships. I know I have a bad track record. _I get that._ But this is more to me than.. it's not a one time thing. It's just not, and I don't know why you can't understand that.. I don't know what I've got to do to _prove_ myself." He says this all quite irritably, but he wasn't mad, more-so helpless and misunderstood. _'I don't know' this, 'I don't know' that..why can't I just be able to say what I feel?_

"I just... you just have to wait," Barry says with a small frown. He can sense the hysteria rising in Hal, and it puts him a little on-edge.

"Do I scare you, Barry? Is that why you're afraid to have sex with me? Do you feel like I'm going to use you up and leave you out to dry?" Hal separates his arms openly, gesturing for everything the speedster has to say. "Tell me _why_ so I can _fix_ it."

"No, it's not that," Barry says quickly. "You've just been opening up a lot touch-wise lately and I'm... not scared of _you_ but of what you might become?" He's subconsciously aware of how that might sound, but it's his honest feelings. No sugar coating things to make them seem better.

Hal's brows knitted and his jaw clenched. He wasn't completely sure, but he thinks that's just how he shows his love. How he wants to show affection, that he treasures his partner. Barry doesn't want that. "That's who I am Barry." Is all he says, starting to feel his blood boil.

 _Are you sure?_ is what Barry wants to say, but he can't. Now it's his turn to avert his gaze, landing on a spot on the coffee table right by Hal's head. He keeps silent out of nervousness, not wanting to upset his partner anymore.

With his head hung low, Hal's sweaty hands grasp his own shirt, knuckles turning white. "I love you. Why the _hell_ can't you understand all I want is to _love_ you Barry?!" There's a sting of regret behind his words, but Hal's emotions were taking over and he was starting to lose his cool. "Who do you take me for? Why are you trying to see me so differently? Don't just sit there passively!" Hal could feel a lump form on his throat after yelling, but his anger kept him from feeling sorry.

"I don't know!" Barry shouts finally, sitting completely rigid on the couch. "I don't know, but you _yelling at me_ isn't helping."

Hal shakes his head, feeling completely shaken and useless. He couldn't _make _Barry realize. The guy had to just figure it out for himself. "You don't like how I am now? I _know_ that's not true. But I have no idea _what you don't know!_ " There was a kind of whine to his voice, and it almost broke mid-sentence, struggling to keep his voice down to not make Barry uncomfortable. "Just help me understand! I can't be what you think I should be if I don't even know what the fuck YOU want me to be." Hal says bitterly, self loathing thick within his words.__

__"I want you to be _you_ ," Barry says, wanting nothing more than to just run away from this. " _Just_ you. No lies, no hiding, no secrets, nothing. I want to know you for how you are underneath all the witty remarks and flirtatious actions."_ _

__Barry's words hit like daggers in Hal's heart, lodging deep and twisting. That's all Hal was trying to do. He'd shown his real self to Barry, and it backfired. Bad. "That.. I--this _is_ just me..." His voice was small and meaningless. He didn't think he could fix this. He couldn't be what Barry wanted him to be._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so weak we can't even finish real angst smh


	10. Zoo (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian takes Jon to the zoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jon  
> SAS as Damian

Just because it was the day before Valentine's Day and Damian and Jon were going to the zoo together didn't mean it was a date.  
Damian hoped Jon wouldn't question it, anyways.  
They were just talking the day before about how Jon had been when he was younger and loved it. Damian had never been himself, and since his friend seemed to like it he thought they should go. Not on a date. Just together.  
He was on time to the Kent's apartment in Metropolis (like always) and knocked on the door, silently praying that the day would go well.

Jon leaps out of his seat on the couch where he was waiting for Damian, sprinting to the door and swinging it open enthusiastically. "Dami!!" Jon squeezes the smaller boy in a tight hug in his excitement. "Let's go let's go let's go-!"

Damian grunts at the sudden contact, flustered and confused as to why the boy had _hugged_ him upon his arrival. "Hello to you too. It would have been a shame if it wasn't me at the door, wouldn't it?" He teases and lightly pats Jon on the shoulder, acknowledging the hug.

Lois comes shuffling out of the house with a green smoothie in a glass jar in one hand and Jon's duffle bag in the other. She takes a bottle of spray-on sunscreen out of the bag and tells Jon to spread his arms out. He does so obediently and takes in a deep breath, holding it there with puffed out cheeks. Lois sprays down her son's arms and legs, then his neck. Jon squeaks when the cold liquid is spritzed on the back of his neck, but shakes it off quickly, taking the duffle from his mom.  
"Do you need sunscreen, Damian?" Lois asks like any good mother would.

Pressing his lips together as he watched Lois spray down her son to keep from snickering, (hey, not everyone was blessed with skin that didn't burn like Damian's.) he wonders if Jon burned easy. His green eyes flicker to the can and he holds his hand out. "I would like some for my cheeks, please." He would be very annoyed if somehow he did redden, so better safe than sorry.

Lois sprays a bit into Damian's hand before locking the nozzle and tucking it into Jon's duffle bag. She takes a gulp of her... kinda disgusting looking smoothie, in Jon's humble opinion, and tells the boys to get in the truck.  
"Can we ride in the bed?" Jon begs. "Pleaaaase?"  
"We're going on a pretty long ride, Jon. It wouldn't be safe."  
Jon pouts and jumps into the back seat with a little boost from his superpowers. He holds out his hand for Damian once he's inside.

Damian knows he was perfectly capable of getting into the truck by himself, but doesn't dismiss the hand offered to him, taking it lightly. After he was tugged up into the truck, he notices the pile of cardboard boxes taking up the right side seat, and frowns slightly.  
Lois gets into the driver's seat and turns around some. "Oh! Sorry, sorry, that's stuff from work I forgot to take out. Give me a secon--" Damian shakes his head and plops down into the small middle seat. "It's fine, I can sit in the middle." It really wasn't a trouble. Damian didn't take up much space, so it hardly made a difference to him.

Jon's heartbeat picks up just a little bit when Damian scoots in right next to him so their arm and legs touch. He smiles to himself before taking off his duffle and strapping himself in.

Damian turns around and reaches for the seatbelt, buckling himself in. He was trying hard to ignore Jon's leg pressed up against his, but remained calm guessing it was due to closeness. He pulls out his phone, searching up how long it would take to get to the zoo. _1 hour and 40 minutes_. Oh.

Jon begins bouncing his leg up and down impatiently when they're not even halfway out of the driveway. It would be a long ride, but he had Damian to talk to which made everything 110% better.

~ 0 ~

Damian slowly stirred out of his light sleep, sensing that the car wasn't moving anymore. He didn't even remember dozing off, if he was honest. He must have nodded off in the last 30 minutes, or something. But he immediately lost his breath when he noticed his head was leaning on Jon's shoulder. Damian stared, eyes wide for about 10 seconds before seeming to be wide awake, lifting his head quickly.

Jon was careful not to move the entire time Damian's head was rested on his shoulder, not wanting to wake the boy and have his comforting warmth leave. When Damian finally stirs awake and lifts his head, Jon's shoulders sag with relief of not having to strain anymore.  
He smiles at Damian with a twinkle in his sky blue eyes. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

With a stoic expression, but eyes still wide, he turns his head over at Jon, looking up at him. He didn't seem to be mad that Damian had fallen asleep on him. Good. "Shut up. It's well after morning and you know it." He said, rolling his eyes.

Once they step out of the car and close the doors shut behind them, Jon waves off his mother. He turns to Damian and murmurs, "Hey, at least I got the beauty part right."

Damian's sure his heart stopped, and his stomach did around 4 flips before allowing him to speak. "I-- wait what--?" He stammers, turning furiously red, millions of butterflies flapping their wings inside of him. _Whatwhatwhat is going on_

Jon realizes what he said and his ears turn a bright shade of pink. "Uh, nothing. I didn't say anything." He shoves his hands into his pockets and starts shuffling away to the zoo entrance, embarrassed.

After swallowing thickly and convincing himself he heard wrong--heard what he _wanted_ to hear-- Damian pulls himself forward, slowly, legs seeming to try to break away from where they were cemented to the concrete. _Damn.._

Once they're inside, Jon slips on his cap and hangs right by Damian's side. He hands the map he'd grabbed on their way in to Damian, who knew more about reading maps then Jon. He'd probably get them lost within the first ten minutes.

"Where should we go first?"

Damian takes the map gingerly, eyebrows knitting as he studied what routes were effective and would get them to see the most exhibits. He looks up at Jon, noting the nice way the boy's thick curls poked over his forehead with the cap on. For some reason, he turned back to the map quickly and spoke quietly. "Well, there are three main paths. I think most would be drawn to where the bigger exhibits are, and it would be crowded. We could go to those later, once people start leaving. For now we should take the left route."

Jon could practically see Damian's brain calculating and determining the best route, lips pursed and eyebrows taught in concentration. He almost swoons right then and there. _He's so smart..._  
Jon grins when Damian announces the best path, and begins walking off to the left. "Sounds good to me! I'm lucky you're so good at... well, everything!"

"Hippopotamuses are aggressive and dangerous mammals and kill over 3000 people per year. The average male weighs around 3,500 pounds, and can grow between 10 and 16.5 feet long." Damian states, gazing over the many hippos that were calm in the water. He spotted a baby, close to what he assumed to be the mother. "Quite impressive."

"Um, yeah! Impressive," Jon agrees, somewhat stunned of the information that just spewed out of Damian's mouth. _Pfft what the heck, Dami,_ he thinks with a chuckle.

Damian looks over at Jon, confused. "Was that not appropriate to say?" He says, raising an eyebrow. He hears a big splash, and looks at two hippos splashing each, back and forth. _Are they challenging one another?_

 _Are they playing?_ Jon thinks, observing the massive animals curiously. They keep splashing each other until one lumbers away, looking tired. _Hm._

"He won." Damian points to the hippo still standing in the water. "I like this one." He nods approvingly, and the hippo snorts, spraying water over the other hippos. Damian smirks, leaning over the railing some.

Jon snickers, nudging his partner gently. "You're so weird, Dami." Jon offers him a smile to let him know he was just joking.

Damian scowls slightly and nudges him back. "I must be spending too much time with _you_ then." He adds quietly, looking ahead and seeing signs for the apes and monkeys. "Oh Jon look, your relatives."

" _Rude_ ," Jon says, laughing. "If humans are related to monkeys, then you're twice as related to them as me. I'm only half human," Jon points out, beginning to waltz away towards the monkey and apes exhibit.

 _He thinks he's sooooo clever._ Damian thinks, but in actuality he thinks it's quite charming. A dose of his own medicine. He follows close behind and grabs Jon's cap, and examines it before putting it on, which was way too big. "You have a big head." He notes, pushing up on the bill so it wouldn't fall in front of his eyes.

Jon turns around when he feels his cap being lifted off, watching in amusement as Damian puts it on. _Oh my god, that's adorable,_ Jon thinks, observing the way it tilted a bit to the side.  
"Maybe _you_ just have a small head," Jon remarks, chuckling.

"I have an average sized head, thank you very much." He huffs, deciding to keep the cap on. It was somewhat comforting to him, for what reasons he couldn't pinpoint. He gives Jon a look, almost as if to say 'this is mine now.' And returns to walking towards the exhibit.

Jon follows, deciding not to pursue the return of his hat out of concern for his well-being. Instead, he fixes his attention on the monkey exhibit they were coming up on. It was tall and large, with a wire fence wrapping around it so the inhabitants couldn't escape. Many trees and man made perches were clumped up in the center for easy viewing.  
Jon spots a small brown monkey on one of the perches, messily eating some kind of fruit. "Do you know what kind of monkey that is?" he whispers to Damian, pointing at it.

His green eyes land on a cute looking monkey, digging into his lunch. Damian tilts his head, noting the short snout and eyes, how the fur framed its face. "That's a howler monkey, I believe. The name, pretty much explains itself." He says after readjusting Jon's hat on his head so it wouldn't keep slipping down on him.

Jon grins to himself, impressed with Damian's expansive knowledge not for the first- or last- time. "It's cute," he says, watching it eat. "And small! Like you," Jon adds with a giggle.

Damian feels a great satisfaction that's he's able to time and time again impress the younger and his heart sort of flutters hearing the boy call him small. Damian thinks he would be reading too far between the lines if he suspected Jon called him cute, right?  
"I swear you'll never let me live that down. Not until I grow, I suppose?"

"Nope!" Jon agrees. "I bet you'll never be taller than me, though. Even my dad's taller than yours!"

"Just because I'm not tall doesn't mean I can't kick your ass." He says rolling his eyes, lightly bumping Jon's shoulder.

"And just because I'm younger doesn't mean I can't kick yours," Jon replies, allowing himself to be bumped without a retaliation. His attention is suddenly drawn to the monkey, who had begun to howl and screech loudly. "Hey, it even sounds like you!"

"If we weren't in public, you'd be pinned on the ground _begging_ for mercy, Kent." He growls, and spots a bigger monkey stomping around in the mud on the ground. "I bet that one smells better than you." Damian smirks, but in his head knows it wasn't true at all; he liked how Jon smelled of honey and hay even well after leaving his farm in Hamilton county.

Jon laughs and moves on to the ape section across the walkway. They're a lot bigger than the monkeys and move slower- almost like lumbering. He peers at them before getting bored and leading Damian down the path to the birds section.

"I think there's an aviary that we can feed the birds in," Damian says aloud, looking around for signs or small buildings. He could already see eagle exhibits, a barn owl exhibit, and a few vultures.

"Really??!" Jon exclaims, grabbing Damian's hand in his excitement. "Well what are we waiting for??" He looks around, acute vision spotting a small sign reading "Bird Feeding" on a wire door leading into one of the aviaries. Jon drags Damian to the entrance, grinning.

Damian walks passively with his hand in Jon's, eyeing how Jon's fingers slightly wrapped around his. "Someone sure is excited." He mumbles with a smile across his face, following in behind Jon after he opens the door quickly. They walk up to the desk where there are small plastic containers with nectar filled in them. Damian grabs two and hands one to Jon.

Jon takes the cup eagerly, but not so eagerly that he didn't say "thank you".  
They pass another door into the aviary, which was a little humid and filled to the brim with tall trees and jungle plants. Jon looks around in wonder at the colorful parrots and hummingbirds sitting or flying around. He holds his breath as a hummingbird comes to his cup and perches itself on the rim, sipping at the sweet liquid. He doesn't move an inch until it flies away, not wanting to scare it.

When they walk in, Damian intently watches the birds flutter around, bursts of color everywhere. Amused with the way Jon stilled when the hummingbird came close, he wishes he had his phone out to take a picture. Damian presses his lips together and lightly whistles a sweet tune, attracting the attention of a small cockatiel bird. He stiffens when the bird perches itself on his wrist and flicks its wings, making Damian smile. It eats a bit, and another bird comes. It had a yellow body with a light pink head and white accents. He honestly didn't know what type of bird it was.

Jon walks on ahead after watching Damian's birds for a little, searching for more. He swipes a bit of the nectar onto his finger and hides the cup, waiting for a bird to perch itself on his finger. A lorikeet flies over and eats a little before taking off once more. Jon laughs happily and looks over to Damian, who the birds were seeming to favor more.

There were now 4 birds on Damian, 1 on his right arm, 2 on his left and 1 perched on his shoulder. He couldn't do much but let the birds eat, so he stood calmly with a small smile plastered on his lips as he contently waited for them to finish. "I don't see why they like me more than you. You're all happy and cheery, yet for some reason they _still_ come to me." He smirks a bit, eyeing the bird on his shoulder who was spinning in circles, unsure of what to do.

"Maybe they know you're Robin," Jon suggests quietly enough so no one else can hear, laughing when he sees the small smile on Damian's face. Few things drew that gentle, relaxed smile out of him.

"Sure, _that's_ why." He grunts once he notices the container was almost empty. He slowly and carefully reaches his right arm out to Jon, and the bird hops onto the boy's shoulder. It finds Jon's dark curls interesting, tilting it's small head and chirping intelligently and Damian chuckles warmly.

Jon brings his hand up to stroke its chin carefully, and it coos happily, leaning into the touch. Once he draws his hand away, it grabs a lock of his hair and pulls, drawing a startled yelp out of Jon.  
"Hey! What was that for??" Jon yells, rubbing the spot of hair the bird yanked. The bird chirps and flies away, taking a strand of Jon's hair with it.

Damian tries to hold in his laughter but can't, and ultimately scares the birds away. "That was priceless." He says as Jon's cap falls back into his eyes.

Jon scowls, smacking Damian across the head lightly. "Shut up. And gimme my hat back!" He reaches for his cap, managing to grab the bill.

"What?! Why?!" He tries backs up and scowls right back at Jon, trying to push him away.

"What do you mean, 'why'? It's _my_ cap!" Jon tries to pull it off, but one of Damian's hands is fastened securely at the top. "Dami! Give it-" He takes a step forward right as Damian shifts a little, sending them both toppling to the ground with Jon on top.

Damian hits the ground and is about to start cursing Jon out before he realizes that he actually had _hit the ground._ They were on the ground. Jon on top. His breath hitches in his throat and he's vaguely aware of the dozens of eyes on them. Damian doesn't make a single move, hand still at Jon's hat.

Jon stares at Damian's face, which is suddenly very close. He doesn't move until he feels his face heating up, putting his hand on Damian's chest to push himself up. He scrambles up, taking multiple steps back in horror.  
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry, are you okay-?" Jon starts to hold out a hand for Damian, but pulls it back, not wanting to make things any worse.

Still unmoving until Jon is up off of him, Damian nods slowly and tries hard not to look around at everyone else in the aviary to avoid the questioning looks they were sure to be getting. "I'm fine," he says calmly, straightening his shirt after he's back in his feet. He feels like he should say something else but didn't really know what to say, and he just _knows_ he was red in the face. Frankly, he didn't know how to solve that problem.

Jon nods, lips pursed nervously. _He seems okay... I hope I didn't make him uncomfortable._ He notices the looks they were getting from the people around them and takes Damian's hand. "Let's get out of here..."

"Let's." He agrees, shooting everyone one last glare before they exit the aviary hand-in-hand. Damian breathes in deeply once they're out, calming down slightly. "That.. could have gone better.." He whispers quietly, looking around for maybe a small stand to get drinks at.

Jon decides to let Damian keep the hat after that experience.  
He spots an ice cream stand nearby and leads Damian to it, still holding his hand. It was comforting. "What do you want?" Jon asks Damian, fishing out his wallet.

"Jon, i'm _not_ letting you pay. After all, this is--" He stops himself abruptly, glad he didn't say what he was about to say. "--it's a... well the hat. Thing..--just let me pay." Damian grumbles then trails off, face reddening once more. He uses his free hand to push Jon's wallet back down, then reaches for his own.

Jon opens his mouth to argue, but shuts it when he realizes there was probably no talking Damian out of this one. He peers at the list of ice cream and picks out a lemonade popsicle, thanking Damian multiple times with his order.

He orders a strawberry kiwi popsicle and hands the man working the stand a ten dollar bill. He never accept any change ever, and today wasn't an exception even though their total didn't exceed six dollars. He wonders if he should still be holding hands with Jon, but decides he didn't really want him to let go either. "We could head over to the aquarium and aquatic section now, if you want?" He asks before taking a bite of his frozen treat.

"Yeah!" Jon says, licking his own popsicle. He stares as Damian bites the top of his off. "Did you just... bite your ice cream?"

Damian cocks his head to the side slightly and eyes Jon with jade green eyes. "Yes? So?" He says with a scoff.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Jon inquires, eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would it hurt?" He says and does it again, not even phased like a normal person would be. He lets the sweet ice melt in his mouth, confused as to why the younger was asking.

Jon cringes just _watching_ Damian bite the ice cream. "Nevermind..." He continues licking his popsicle and lets Damian lead them to the ocean life section.

Damian shrugs, and walks on towards the entrance. He can't stop thinking about his hand in Jon's and can't stop wanting to squeeze it tighter. Mentally, he was screaming at himself to just man up and do it and/or tell Jon how he felt. He didn't figure it was the right time though. Maybe later...  
The first part of the aquatic section was outdoors, and there were turtles of all kinds and pretty wildlife. But what really caught Damian's eye were the bright pink flamingos standing in shallow waters, craning their necks and balancing on one leg. "Oh, look." He whispers to Jon, nodding to the exhibit.

Jon gasps and runs to the edge of the railing, staring at the tall birds in wonder. He spots a few gray chicks resting in the shade of their mother's bodies and smiles. "They're so pretty!" Jon says, not seeming to mind the smell.

Following suit, (but calmly, only strolling over.) Damian looks over all of the pretty birds, some less pink than others, some vibrant and beautiful. There was a strong urge for Damian to pull his phone out and take pictures, and now that he had his hand back he did. "Indeed. Flamingos get their color from the shrimp they eat. Quite interesting, if you ask me." He snaps a picture of the babies, Jon's awestruck face in the background and Damian snickers to himself.

Jon watches the elegant creatures for a while before spotting otters a few exhibits down. He screams and runs a little too fast than is humanly possible (luckily no one notices) to the glass wall, pressing his hands against the glass. His blue eyes are as wide as saucers as he stares at the playful mammals twisting and turning in the water.

Damian's eyes widen at the sudden burst of overwhelming excitement from his friend, and he speed walks over after Jon. _Dammit, if he exposes himself i'll beat his ass._ He tucks his phone away and goes right behind Jon, studying the creatures. "I had no idea you liked otters." He muses, watching them do little circles and twists in the clear water. Jon was so captivated by them, it was quite endearing.

"Shh," Jon shushes, holding out his pointer finger in a 'shh' position. The whole time he doesn't look away, eyes glued to the creatures. Jon makes a little excited squeak sound as he watches them rocket through the water expertly. One of them shoots out of the water onto land, drops of the liquid rolling off its sleek fur. "Ohhhh," Jon breathes, mouth hanging open a little.

Damian freezes, eyes following to Jon's finger as he _shhed him?_ He opens his mouth to speak but decides not to, watching the otters jump about, shaking water off of themselves. They look like beavers a little, but slimmer and cuter. Damian waters, then moves to the glass himself, moving closer as he spies a small otter start to move towards the glass, spinning in front of it and seeming to do tricks for them. Damian laughs quietly and looks back at Jon wearing that cute amazed expression of his. A light pink creeps onto the Robin's cheeks, but isn't concerned because the younger seemed too invested in watching the little mammal and the show it was putting on.

Jon watches as the otter spins around, a smile tugging the corners of his lips upward. He applauds the creature once it's done, laughing. His heart feels incredibly light, but then he looks at Damian and it grows even lighter. His smile must be splitting his face in two, at this point.

 _Of course he turns around. Of course he does._ Damian thinks, but can't help but give a small smile in return, eyes growing softer just by looking at Jon. He'd have to save this information on Jon loving otters for later..

Jon stares at the otters for a few more minutes before detaching himself from the glass viewing pane. He beams at Damian and hugs him tightly. "Thank you for taking me here, Dami. It's been awesome."

That familiar flip flop feeling in his stomach returns once Jon wraps his arms around him once more, and Damian hugs back this time. "Of course, Jon." He says without hesitation, feeling like he's accomplished something today.

Jon holds Damian for a few more seconds before letting go, still smiling and secretly admiring his emerald green eyes. _I don't think I'll ever get over those eyes, _Jon thinks. His gaze drifts downward and lands on Damian's lips. _I don't think I'll ever stop wanting to kiss him.___

__Damian starts to feel his cheeks heat up under Jon's stare and his mind starts racing, fighting to keep calm. "Where do you want to go next?" He gets out slowly, eyes glancing around, trying not to land specifically on the taller boy's face. He takes out the map once more and busies himself, trying to act normal._ _

__Jon shrugs, using the motion to help him tear his gaze away from Damian's face. "I know you like cats, so maybe the big cats section?"_ _

__Damian forces the most unawkward smile he can and nods, agreeing since it was getting later in the day and most families would be starting to leave. "Great idea. Let's go, or are you incapable of departing from the otter exhibit?" He adds teasingly, hoping to return to a lighter mood._ _

__"I think I can manage for you," Jon says with a smile, making it very hard for Damian to remain unawkward._ _

_Damn human emotions._ Damian thinks harshly, heart turning to mush once again at Jon's words. He wasn't sure if Jon could tell see the redness deepening over his cheeks, but he _had_ to. Damian was sure you could see it from over a mile away. "Oh," He says intelligently, all in all giving up on trying to control what he couldn't. "Let's head on then." He shuffles awkwardly out of the exhibit, readjusting Jon's cap and throwing out his popsicle stick. 

__Jon smiles to himself when he sees Damian's red face, trailing behind him and throwing his popsicle stick in the same trashcan. After a few minutes of walking they make it to the tiger and lion exhibits._ _

__Damian calms down after a few deep breaths, regaining his bearings and calm nature. He eyes the exhibits with a frown, noting the lack of size. As they get closer, he spots a few lionesses and 3 cubs all sunbathing quietly. "You think father would kill me if I got one?" He says, pointing at one of the cubs._ _

__"You can't 'get' lions, Dami," Jon states with a chuckle. "And yes, he would."_ _

"Want to _bet_?" Damian says challengingly, straightening up and turns the cap backwards on his head and learns it was _much_ more effective that way and it didn't fall down on his head as much. "I got Goliath, didn't I?" 

"Oh my God Damian, _no_. I don't want to talk to the cops about why Damian Wayne decided to steal a lion," Jon says grabbing Damian's arm just in case he hopped over the railing. 

He tugs back on his arm, drawing Jon closer to him as he whispers, " _Damian Wayne_ wouldn't steal a lion. I know who _would_ , though." He then lightly pushes Jon back and laughs quietly to himself as he resumes watching over the big cats with interest. 

__Jon gives Damian a worried look before following his gaze back to the lions. They were huge and quite majestic, Jon thought. It was understandable why Damian would want one._ _

Still smirking, Damian decides to check out the other big cat exhibits, tugging Jon along by the hand. When they get to the tiger exhibit, he pulls Jon close in front of him, pointing to the tiger. "Look. That's a look of depression, Jon. They _want_ me to take them out of here. Tell me you don't agree." He states flatly, looking up at Jon knowingly. He knew he was right, and that it was quite wrong for the animals to be locked up in cages. Damian could just escape whereas the animals couldn't. It was infuriating to him. 

Jon rolls his eyes. "One, that's super _illegal_. Two, I don't think they'd be very happy living in a gloomy and crowded city either." Jon crosses his arms and studies the tiger. It _did_ look very unhappy, though. 

__Damian ponders on the thought for a minute, thinking up of reasonable ideas. "I could buy a sanctuary for them." He says nonchalantly, as if it was nothing. "Then they would be protected and still have land to do whatever they wanted in." He rests his hand over Jon's arms before uncrossing them for him. "Don't get pissy." Damian teases, and continues to watch the tiger who was pacing around, yawning a few times._ _

__Jon blushes lightly when Damian pulls his arms apart, averting his gaze quickly. "I guess," he replies quietly._ _

__After about another minute of painfully watching, Damian turns back to the Kryptonian and shrugs. "Anything else we missed that you wanted to see?"_ _

__"Mm, not really," Jon answers passively. "We can leave now if it's okay with you."_ _

__The sun had begun to set, lengthening the shadows and painting the sky a flurry of colors._ _

__"Looks like it'll be dark soon anyways.”_ _

__"Fine with me. I'm glad you had a good time." Damian comments quietly, drawing away from the glass and starts to walk with Jon, heading back for the entrance to the zoo._ _

__Jon takes Damian's hand before he can have any second thoughts while they walk, swaying them up and down with each step._ _

Damian's breath catches in his throat, wanting to say the obvious. Maybe he doesn't have to? Maybe Jon knows. _Maybe he feels the same way.._ As they walk, Damian intertwined their fingers, blush returning along with butterflies that never seemed to permanently leave. 

__Jon pulls out his phone and texts his mom, requesting to be picked up. Once she replies he tucks his phone away into a back pocket and looks over at Damian. Their hands are still intertwined, and he squeezes slightly to get Damian's attention.  
"Thank you so much for today. I loved it," Jon says for the second time, smiling warmly._ _

__"You're welcome. I did too," He glances down at their hands and presses his lips together, before adding quietly. "I think we should do this more often." Damian tilts his head to look up at Jon, wondering if he should give the hat back. Not without a fight from Damian, again._ _

__For a second, Jon considers kissing Damian. The mood is perfect, and when Damian tilts his head up the angle is perfect too. He swallows thickly and nods. "Yeah, we should."_ _

__Damian smiles some, eyes closing comfortably. They stand hand in hand in comfortable silence for a few more minutes before he hears the slowly approaching sound of the Kent's truck and he peeks an eye open. "Do you.. think your mom would mind?" He raises their hands a bit, not too sure if he should call them a couple quite yet. His was all very new for Damian and he wasn't too knowledgeable on labels._ _

__"I don't think she'd mind, but at the same time I don't want her to see... it's.. kinda awkward," Jon admits, letting go hesitantly. He begins walking to the truck and climbs in, holding out a hand for Damian once more._ _

__Damian nods hesitantly and follows behind, taking Jon's outstretched hand and pulls himself up.  
"You boys have fun?" Lois asks with a smile, turning around in her seat a bit. "Jon, you look a little red. I knew I should have given you more sunscreen." She says with a frown, slouching her shoulders. Damian internally snickers, but doesn't want to give anything away._ _

"Uh, yeah," Jon stammers nervously. _Yeah... that's it. Sunscreen._ He's a little embarrassed but thankful for the free excuse. "We had a great time! It was awesome," he says, shooting a fond smile towards Damian. 

__"Thank you Lois, for making the drive." Damian adds as he buckles up, glancing over at Jon. He suddenly remembers he had Jon's cap on and his eyes widen. He takes it off and throws it Jon hurriedly once Lois turns back around.  
"Of course! I'm very glad you had a good day!"_ _

Jon catches the hat and stuffs it in his duffle now that he didn't need it anymore. _Phew, _he mouths to Damian.__

____~0~_ _ _ _

____ _ _

At exactly 11:00, Damian decides he's okay to leave Gotham and head for Metropolis. Thankfully, it was a quiet night anyways, and only after 2 hours of patrol Batman told his Robin that he could go off route and lounge around. Damian saw that as an _invitation_ to go to the Kent's apartment and grab Jon. He decided to take his motorcycle, and he sped over to the neighboring city as quick as he could. Once he arrived, he shot his grappling hook up to the roof, bringing himself to Jon's bedroom window quietly. He didn't even bother knocking, and lifted up the screen carefully and slipped in without a word. 

____Jon was already in bed when Damian came swooping in through his window. He jolts up in bed, staring at the fully uniformed Robin.  
"What are you doing here??" Jon hisses, standing up._ _ _ _

____Damian steps lightly on the floors, going straight to Jon's closet doors and swinging them open. "I'm here to pick you up." He states simply, ignoring the slightly annoyed tone in Jon's voice. He fishes out the boy's Superboy suit and throws it at him. "What are you waiting for? Suit up." Damian says it as if he's bored, hands on hips._ _ _ _

____Jon sighs, taking his suit and getting dressed. He learned long ago there was no deterring Robin from taking him on rebellious missions in the middle of the night.  
"Where are we going?" Jon whispers as he slips on his ripped jeans._ _ _ _

____"The zoo, of course. Did you already forget about the animals?" He asks stepping closer to Jon and rolls his eyes under the domino._ _ _ _

Jon freezes, staring at Damian. "Oh no. Nononono we _cannot_ do that." 

____He sets his jaw and raises an eyebrow. "Why is that?" Damian taps his foot impatiently. He really wishes they could skip the argument and get right to the mission, because it was going to happen eventually._ _ _ _

" _No_ ," Jon says firmly. "I am not going with you. You won't make me this time."  
A few minutes later, the Super Sons were back at the zoo and Jon was talking Damian's ear off the entire way there. "I can't believe this," Jon whispers, disappointed in himself. "I _can't_ believe you talked me into this." 

____It had taken a lot of back and forth arguments, but Damian thinks he won his partner over with the swift kiss he planted on his cheek, saying if he didn't willfully come with Damian, he would force him to come._ _ _ _

____So there they stood. "It's the right thing to do." Damian states, nudging Superboy in the shoulder. "Let's go." He says right before shooting his grappling hook to the top of the big archway that was the zoo entrance._ _ _ _

Jon sighs before jumping on top of the archway beside Damian. "Please don't tell me we're stealing the _entire_ zoo." 

____"Don't be silly." Damian looks over at his partner and tap's his gloved wrist. "We only have 5 hours till dawn." He smirks, and swings off of the top, landing gracefully on the ground, and gets to tapping away on his screen, looking to disable security codes._ _ _ _

____Jon takes a seat on the archway, letting his feet dangle and waiting until Damian makes a move. He suddenly starts running toward the left, so Jon hops down and follows._ _ _ _

____Damian slows once they near the same exhibits they were at before, and turns to his partner in crime, gesturing with his hand to a board with many exhibit names on it. "You have first pick, Superboy." He lets himself read off some of the exhibit names in his head, excited for the big cats. But they should probably do that last, just in case anything goes wrong._ _ _ _

"I'm not _picking_ ," Jon says spitefully. "This is your plan. I'm still not 100% on board with this." 

"But you _are_ somewhat on board with this? That's what I got from that. Let's save some monkeys first." Damian decides, turning and sprinting in the correct direction, pulling up access codes to get into the exhibit. 

____Jon scoops up a couple monkeys once they're inside, muttering apologies to the zoo owners. He spots the small brown howler sleeping in a corner and picks him up too, cradling them gently._ _ _ _

____Damian points up in the sky to where the batjet hovered, just getting there after he summoned it when they first arrived at the zoo. "When you're done securing them, meet me at the tiger exhibit." He changed his mind on doing the big cats last because he was just so eager to get to them and it was what this mission was mostly about. He'll pick up something else on the way out too.._ _ _ _

____Jon replies with another heavy sigh and boosts himself into a bottom opening in the jet. He sets the monkeys in a small cage and locks the door.  
"Sorry, friends," Jon whispers to them. "I hope you're happier with Robin than in the zoo."_ _ _ _

____Awaiting Jon patiently, Robin stands up on the railing of the lion exhibit, thinking about if he could call this a 'date.' Probably not, you aren't usually forced to go on dates._ _ _ _

____When Superboy returned, Damian sucked in a breath and points to the lions huddled together near the back corner of the exhibit. "I know you're invincible, but here is a tranquilizer." He fishes 3 out of his utility belt and gives them to Jon. "It will put them to sleep for longer, until we can relocate them. I already have a piece of land." He somehow contacted the League, asking for a piece of land to keep the animals on. It was risky, but Damian had his ways. Threatening was his ways._ _ _ _

____Jon takes the tranquilizers hesitantly and nods. He hops over to the lions and shoots them in quick succession, picking up two and carrying them into the batjet. He apologizes to them as well and goes back to get the third one.  
"Anything else?" he asks his partner._ _ _ _

____Damian nods, but waves Jon off. "I'm going to make sure everything's locked back up. Here, one last tranquilizer for the tiger. I'll meet you at the jet when I'm done." He tosses Superboy the last tranquilizer before scurrying off. He would in fact make sure everything was locked up, but not before he get's one last thing. He just hopes he could sneak it on board the aircraft without Jon noticing._ _ _ _

____Jon runs to the tiger and shoots it in the side, picking it up with gentle arms. "Sorry," he whispers for the third and final time. He locks it in the batjet and makes his way to the passenger seat, strapping in._ _ _ _

____Nearing his destination, Damian slows his pace then unlocks the door to get into the otter exhibit with his tablet, sneaking in quietly. He finds a huddle of otters, all sleeping quietly, and crouches low. One's ear twitches, and another lifts it's head, and squeaks.. or chirps loudly. Damian holds out his hand, and one tries to ram his head into it, making Damian chuckle. "What about... you..?" He whispers aloud, eyeing one that was bell up squeaking slightly. He scoops up the critter gently and it squirms some but ultimately lays back into Damian's chest, and he twirls his cape around to cover it. Thankfully, he had brought a cage at the entrance of the jet he would use to put the otter in so Jon wouldn't see._ _ _ _

____Jon waits in his seat, guilt gnawing at his gut. When Damian sits down in the pilot's seat, Jon punches him- not with his full strength of course.  
"I hope you're happy," he grumbles. "I sold some of my human decency for you."_ _ _ _

____Damian scowls at Jon, but guesses he on some level deserved it. But he also knew he was doing these animals a favor. "I am indeed happy." He then begins to tap in the coordinates for the soon to be sanctuary, but the AI's voices comes on over the jet's speakers. "Action denied." Damian grunts and taps in the coordinates once more, getting the same response. "What?!" he exclaims frustrated, unknowing of why this was happening._ _ _ _

____"What's up?" Jon asks, peering at the screen._ _ _ _

____Suddenly, there's a transmission that comes in, a holographic screen popping up to Damian's left. The screen read 'Batman' and Robin curses under his breath in multiple languages. Just as he goes to hit 'off' and shut down the transmission, it comes through anyways, the angry face of Bruce Wayne on the screen._ _ _ _

"Damian, you better have a damn good explanation for why one of my batjets are _missing_ ," Batman says with a frown. He spots Jon sitting next to Damian and his frown deepens. "You really need to stop dragging Jon along with you on your little adventures. His parents will _not_ be happy about this."  
"We're very sorry, Mr. Wayne," Jon says hurriedly before Damian could start cursing out his father and making things worse. "We'll return the batjet immediately." 

Damian shoots a glare at Jon, curious to know just _what_ he intended to do with the animals aboard the jet. His teeth grit as he hears a slight screech from a monkey coming from the back of the jet and Batman opens his mouth to no doubtedly ask _What the hell was that_. "We will return shortly father." Damian cuts the man off and shuts off the transmission quickly. He slumps back into his chair, rubbing his temples. 

____After a long sigh, Damian looks ahead at the sky through the windshield, annoyed and defeated. "God dammit." Is all he says, looking towards Jon out of the corner of his white lenses._ _ _ _

____"Told you this was a bad idea," Jon mutters._ _ _ _

" _Shut up Jonathan._ " He grumbles, not ready to throw his pride away and admit that this in fact was a bad idea. 

____Jon sighs for the fourth time that night and props his chin on his palm. "Let's just get this over with."_ _ _ _

____"Fine." He says with tense shoulders, standing slowly and stomping over to the cages. He really didn't want to just turn these animals back into the zoo they just came from. He unlocks the cat's cages, and scratches their heads, feeling sorry that they would have to live out the rest of their lives in the same place._ _ _ _

____Jon shakes his head at Damian before grabbing the monkey's cage and returning them home. He makes three trips until all of the animals are out of the jet(or so he thought) and sits down once more in his seat._ _ _ _

____Damian returns to his seat at the batjet, staying up until Jon sat back down to make sure he didn't find the otters. He mentally sighs in relief and starts the boosters back up to get to Metropolis quickly. They zoom off, and Damian looks over at Jon, frowning slightly. "I apologize for making you come with me."_ _ _ _

____"Good," Jon says with a frown. He waits for a few moments before sighing, knowing Damian was probably giving him a look. "Apology accepted."_ _ _ _

Damian turns his head and lets his ground turn into a thin smile, glad Jon wasn't totally pissed at him. "I'll make it up to you." He states only a few seconds later, sure of himself that he could make up for the night. Well, maybe after they were _ungrounded_. 

____Deciding not to ask what Damian meant by that, Superboy brings his hands up to tangle in his dark hair. "My parents are gonna kill me," he says, leaning back in his seat with a groan. It was already past midnight, and he would never stay up this late on his own._ _ _ _

____"I'll take responsibility, don't worry." Damian says, switching on cruise control for the moment. The Robin draws his leafs up into the chair, crossing them before removing his domino. "If it makes you feel better, my father will kill me too." He says dryly, lips spreading into an unamused line._ _ _ _

____Jon chuckles a little, staring out the window into the night sky. "That does make me feel better, actually."_ _ _ _

____Damian rolls his eyes and playfully shoves Jon, mumbling "Oh, thanks a lot, Kent." He was very much dreading having to return home, and would without a doubt be confined to the manor for probably the rest of his life. That doesn't mean he couldn't sneak out though, and he still had the two small otters to give to Jon. He'd probably do that in the morning when Father was away at his day job, too busy to notice his son sneaking back out to Metropolis._ _ _ _

____Once Damian lands the jet, Jon exits, thanking him for the ride home even though he could've gotten back twice as fast and it was his fault he was even out in the first place. "See you tomorrow!"_ _ _ _

Damian waves, still feeling very bad about this whole situation. He had good intentions, but it all just went to crap _real_ fast, sadly. "See you." He replies with, making sure Jon was in the apartment safely before he took off for Gotham. 

____~0~_ _ _ _

When Damian did something wrong, Bruce usually chewed him out, then kept quiet, sneaking in glares of disapproval and slight anger for the next week.  
But this time, he really let Damian have it.  
Damian was prepared though, knowing he probably deserved it this time. But at least no one got hurt. There wasn't any real harm done. Bruce had told his son that the next time he would see Jon, he would apologize. Great, because Damian was going to go do that today anyways. But he was apologizing because _he_ felt he needed to, and he would be very sincere. 

_______Jon was planning on just bumming it at home all day until his patrol with Damian. His parents were both at work, leaving him home alone to watch tv and eat junk food._  
The Kents rarely got visitors, so it surprised Jon when he heard a knock at the door. He peered through the peephole and low and behold; it was Damian. Jon sighs and swings open the door.  
"What now?" 

____Damian's head lifted up when the door flung open, but kept his eyes low, a bit of shame weighing him down. He felt it was only appropriate to dress nicely, after all, he wanted to do this right. He wore a rich green shirt with glossy white buttons, collar fixed to frame the dark grey bow tie he matched to his jeans. The elder's dark hair was slicked back neatly, and he suddenly felt somewhat overdressed, but shook it off as he forced his gaze to meet with Jon's. His arms were held around his back, ready to present Jon's gift. "Jonathan, I'm sorry for dragging you to accompany me on my unsuccessful crusade last evening.."_ _ _ _

____Jon purses his lips in confusion and stares at his very... fancily dressed friend. His mind struggles to find a reason for why Damian would bother dressing so well, but all he draws are blanks.  
"It's okay, Dami. I said I forgave you, didn't I?" Jon pauses, noticing Damian even went through the trouble to slick back his hair more than usual. "What- why are you dressed like that?"_ _ _ _

____The teen rocks back on his heels, unsure of what he should do next. Whenever he had to formally apologize to a higher figure than him when he was in the League, Damian would have to either earn his forgiveness or just take the punishment. He couldn't exactly understand nor cope with Jon saying he forgave Robin for what he did. "I…wanted to... wish you a happy Valentine's Day." He says slowly and quietly, biting on the inside of his cheek._ _ _ _

"Oh." _Does he mean like... a date? Why else would he come for no reason dressed like that...?_ Jon can't help but think it's just his wishful thinking at this point, and manages to smile awkwardly at Damian. "That's sweet." 

____Damian really had never done anything like this before, but he was pretty sure he wasn't doing too well. He takes a deep breath, holding it as he slowly brings his arms out from behind his back, revealing two small brown otters. They each had a collar, one pastel red and one a minty green. The otter he was holding in his left hand had half a heart charm on its collar, and the matching side on the other collar, both with small white bows tied to the sides._ _ _ _

Jon's hands shoot up to his mouth in shock. "Oh... my God," he breaths, not moving an inch. _They're perfect,_ is his first thought, but then he realizes... "Damian, I appreciate them, I really do, but... you _stole_ them." 

____"But..they're for you?" Is all he comes up with, confused as to why there were any problems here._ _ _ _

Jon doesn't think his heart could handle Damian's disappointment if he were to refuse his gift... he even got them customized collars that looked _adorable_!  
"I... alright, fine," Jon finally says, smothering all his guilt by reminding himself these otters were Damian's _Valentine's Day gift_ to him. "Just... hand them over." He stretches his arms out hesitantly. 

The otters squeaked and squirmed wildly, tails thumping and curling. Damian gives them to Jon, and ponders on what he could do. "I could possibly give the zoo money _for_ the otters?" He muses, taking a step towards Jon once he had the small mammals, gingerly petting one's sleek back. 

"I don't think they'd appreciate you _stole_ them first, though." Despite the comment, Jon can't help but smile as the otters are passed into his arms. He cradles them so they won't fall and smooches the one with the green collar on the forehead gently. 

____A little warmth of satisfaction blooms in Damian's chest, seeing the younger boy snuggle the two critters close and lovingly. "They'll get over it." His voice was carefree and light, always delighted to see a smile spread across Jon's pink lips._ _ _ _

Once Jon's satisfied with his cuddle session, he beams up at Damian fondly. "Thank you so much, Damian. Sorry I didn't get you anything..." Jon frowns slightly, wanting to give back to Damian somehow. _I could... kiss him? No, he probably doesn't even like me... Although he seemed okay with holding hands at the zoo. Plus, he stole me a Valentine's gift!_  
Feeling a little more courageous, Jon speaks up. "Can I... kiss you?" he asks quietly, averting his gaze. 

Just as Damian opens his mouth to shut down Jon's apology, his breath breaks, and his jaw hangs slightly slack open. _I didn't know he wanted to kiss me.. how long had he wanted to kiss me?_  
"Yes." He replies, matter of factly, stepping even closer to Jon. "I would like that." Damian deadpans, nerves spiking as a gentle redness tones his cheeks. 

Jon blinks, processing Damian's answer. _He said yes? He said yes!_  
The raven haired boy leans forward quickly, but fails to come in at an angle and ends up bumping his forehead against Damian's.  
"Owwww," Jon says, rubbing his forehead. He can feel his face rapidly heating up with embarrassment. "S-sorry." 

Damian chuckles fondly, pulling back slightly. _Such a kid._ The elder thinks, and scoops the otters from Jon's arms, setting them down on the other side of the door. He stands back up and directs his attention back to the flustered mess of a boy, still amused with the _obvious_ lack of experience. Damian moves back close, "You have to tilt your head, dummy." and he does so to a degree, eyelids closing some, but remain locked on his partner's face. Specifically his lips. Dusty pink and sort of plump. _It's quite adorable.._

____In spite of his slip up, Jon manages to scrape together enough dignity to begin kissing back, letting Damian lead mostly. He closes his eyes slowly, melting into Damian's warmth._ _ _ _

____The kiss is very gentle, smooth lips lightly pressing on eachother, Damian slips his arm around Jon to hug him closer to his body, using him to boost himself higher to better reach the taller boy. Jon's scent is intoxicating, reminding him of caramel candies and warm, soft blankets. Comforting._ _ _ _

____Jon contemplates bringing Damian in the house, but decides he likes where they are just fine. He places his hands on Damian's shoulders when he feels his arm slip around his back and continues kissing him sweetly._ _ _ _

____Damian gradually walks forward, careful that they not bump into anything as the elder backs them into the apartment for more privacy. Once to the other side of the doorway, Damian's left foot presses down on his right heel, tugging his foot hurriedly out of the shoe (Making him slightly shorter in the process. Sadly.)_ _ _ _

_Oh. Guess we're going inside now,_ Jon thinks, backing up with Damian and trying not to break the kiss. His attempts fail when Damian has to take off his shoes and leans away a little, so Jon ends the kiss and slips his own off. He gives Damian another small, gentle kiss on the lips and smiles at him, blue eyes glowing with happiness. "Y'know, this made being grounded not so bad." 

____"I'd have to agree with you on that." Damian purses his lips, giving a tiny nod. This whole 'Valentine's Day' had always been quite the stupid holiday in Damian's humble opinion. But after today, maybe it wasn't so bad after all?? What was the question one would ask? "Will...you be my... Valentine?" He says abruptly, still unsure if that was the correct phrase or not._ _ _ _

____"Yes!" Jon replies immediately, grinning at his "Valentine". He reaches forward to give Damian a gentle but firm hug, craving the sweet contact. "It's all I've ever wanted."_ _ _ _


	11. Cuddle (Halbarry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cuddles with a lil tickle session!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Barry  
> SAS as Hal

The night was going great. Hal had just gotten back to Earth from Oa a few hours ago after a very successful mission and the first place he wanted to go was that cozy apartment in Central City, home to his favorite person in the universe. A hyperactive blond speedster who was the biggest nerd _ever_ and just about the most lovable person to ever walk the Earth. Hal floated down from the dark moonlit sky, glowing a bright green from his suit and hit the ground softly, deactivating the ring after making sure no one would see. He stepped inside the building and made his was up to the apartment and knocked on the door 3 swift times. He was hoping his boyfriend was up, but maybe not since he wouldn't be expecting Hal until the morning. This was a surprise.

The door opens almost instantly, and out leaps a ecstatic Barry Allen. He tackles his boyfriend in a tight hug and peppers little kisses all over his face.

"Whooah!" Hal laughs, heart bursting just at the sight of his special energetic man. His face grows redder with each sweet peck, squeezing Barry into a loving embrace. He couldn't believe he was able to survive, being away for 4 weeks, not waking up every morning to the warm speedster next to him in bed. "Miss me?"

"So much," Barry says with a grin, lacing his fingers together behind Hal's back. "You have _no idea_."

"Ah," He winks at Barry, and presses a quick kiss to his boyfriend's cheek. "Really? Well, dunno about you, but i sure missed your cuddles and kisses, Care Bear." He hints, starting to straighten up and eye the door to the apartment.

Barry gets the hint and walks Hal into the apartment, shutting the door behind them and one arm hooked around Hal's waist the entire time. He leads the way to the living room couch and takes a seat on it, patting the spot beside him. "How'd the mission go?"

Hal plops down next to Barry, keeping close and wrapping an arm around the man's shoulders. He gives a shit eating grin before stating, "We kicked ass." smugly and giving a satisfied grunt. "It went as great as it could go, actually."

Barry smiles at that, leaning closer into Hal and resting his head on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Hal."

Hal can feel a warm buzz start in his throat as they sit there enjoying each other' company. After pressing a few small kisses on Barry's head, Hal wraps his other arm around his boyfriend, trapping him in a bear hug.

Barry turns a little so he's sitting sideways in Hal's lap and rests his head on his chest. He places a gentle hand on his boyfriend's shoulder and sighs happily, relaxing to the sound of his strong, steady heartbeat.

"I'm flattered," Hal whispers into Barry's golden blond hair, heart warming when the speedster snuggles close to his body. Hal can't explain how warm and loved he feels whenever they're together, soaking in each other's presence. "I missed you so much.."

"Me too," Barry says, leaning up to press a quick kiss to Hal's jaw. "I couldn't stop thinking about you. Every night, i'd be up wanting you by my side..." The speedster wraps his arms around Hal's shoulders, trying to touch as much of him at once. "I love you."

An automatic smile spreads across Hal's lips as they hug each other impossibly close. He brings his arms lower to squeeze between Barry's, and rubs soothing circles into the man's back, humming softly. "I love you too." Hal murmurs, deep voice low and gentle.

Barry closes his eyes and matches his breathing to Hal's. Gentle vibrations come from Hal's chest as he speaks, and all Barry wants to do is stay like this forever, safe within the arms of the man he loves.

After a few peaceful moments of shared and comfortable silence, Hal slowly drags his hands down to Barry's abdomen right below his ribs. Hal ducks his head and nuzzles his nose on Barry's temple, smiling to himself. He begins lightly prodding with his fingers, hitting the spots that he knew would easily make the man squirm and giggle.

"Oh my God!" Barry yelps when he feels Hal's fingers brush against his sides, all trust suddenly betrayed. "No! Hal-" The speedster bursts into a fit of uncontrollable laughter and retracts his arms from around Hal to push against his chest.

Hal cracks a smirk filled with such deviousness and evil intentions, you would have thought he was a villain. Despite Barry's best efforts of wiggling and cries for mercy, the brunette continues to poke the now completely weak with laughter man in his lap, pressing his lips together and closing his eyes, searching for a kiss when he wasn't busy laughing his own ass off.

Barry desperately attempts to smother his laughter, getting to the point where his cheeks and stomach burned painfully. He is subconsciously aware through teary eyes that Hal is silently asking for a kiss, lips puckered and eyes closed. For a second Barry considers not giving it to him- after all, he did interrupt a perfectly good cuddle session with tickles. But it would be just as torturous for himself then for Hal, so he caves in and presses his lips against Hal's(still giggling, mind you), bringing his hands to rest on either side of his face.

Satisfied _greatly_ with the fact he received his kiss, Hal ceases his tickling in favor of resting them over Barry's hips. He smiled into the kiss, and could feel slight vibrations emanating off of the speedster, making Hal's heart soar to a whole new level of star filled skies--and those stars were _gleaming_.

Barry has to pull away disappointingly quickly to catch his breath, desperate to release the burning sensations in his stomach. He gasps shakily, relaxing into Hal's arms once more.  
"That... wasn't very nice," Barry manages in between gasps. But despite his tone, he smiles warmly.

Hal snorts and lightly squeezes on Barry's hip affectionately. "I'm a _bad boy_ , Bear. I don't _do_ nice," He says with a rough sounding voice, flashing a wink at his boyfriend. Seeing that he wasn't too impressed, Hal sighs and adds somewhat sarcastically; "But I'm sowwie I wasn't being vewy nice." Hal pokes out his bottom lip and flutters his brown eyelashes. "Do you fowgive me Bawwy?"

Barry sighs heavily, shaking his head. "With your charm, who couldn't?" He grins and kisses Hal on the lips once more, rubbing his thumb against the contours of his handsome face fondly.

Hal chuckles through a close mouthed and dopey smile, the sound vibrating in his throat. Despite being together for months now, the butterflies in Hal's stomach never subsided reminding him how happy, nervous, excited, lovestruck, and lucky Barry made him feel.

Barry pulls away to rest his forehead against Hal's; an intimate gesture between the two. He takes a deep breath in, staring into Hal's soft brown eyes and relishing the moment.

After getting that jumpy feeling in his stomach so many times--when Barry looked at him, or smiled, or kissed him, or.. or anything--, you would think Hal would be used to the feeling. But it's still foreign as ever, and when Barry's baby blue eyes find themselves gazing into Hal's, his whole body goes warm and fuzzy, cheeks flushing. It was extremely special when they did this--to just get lost in each other's eyes. He actually shows a tiny smile, taking in every beautiful shade of blue in those irises, every shadow that casts upon the man's face. Every little detail.

Barry feels a comforting warmth blossom in his stomach as he drinks in Hal's chocolatey smooth eyes, and his eyelids droop slightly. "I couldn't sleep," Barry admits softly. "I couldn't wait for you to be back."

Hal frowns some, realizing that Barry did look tired, slight circles under his eyes. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before. "Barry, you should-- _we should_ go to bed. I'm tired too, babe." Which was true, because he hadn't actually gotten good sleep while he was away, and couldn't wait to curl up next to the love of his life, sharing each other' warmth and sheets.

Barry nods, shifting a little but feeling too warm and comfortable to get out of Hal's lap. He wraps his arms around his neck and smiles charmingly. "Carry me?"

"Now, how could I say no to that?" Hal answers in a silky smooth voice, breathing in deep before shifting the man (manchild, more like it.) so he could easier be carried, and slowly stands, grunting. He should really get in the weight room more. He walks them both to their room, pushing open the door and maneuvering in carefully. Hal lays Barry down on the bed, smiling fondly.

"Thanks," Barry sighs with a small, blissful smile plastered on his face. He shimmies up to the headboard and draws the sheets over his body, then scoots back down again so his head is resting on the pillow. He lifts the sheet on Hal's side of the bed so he can crawl in easily.

"Of course.." Hal whispers as he climbs into the bed and feeling instantly warmer as he snuggles back close to Barry, wrapping protective arm around the speedster. Hal buries his nose into the back of Barry's head, promising not to come out.

Barry holds the hand slung around his torso and interlocks their fingers slowly. He twists his head around to give Hal one last kiss before dozing off peacefully, surrounded by his boyfriend's comforting warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow first Halbarry RP we finish and it's super short
> 
> Sorry guys


	12. Deal (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talia abducts Jon and Damian is left to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jon  
> SAS as Damian  
> Both of us were Talia
> 
> Trigger warnings: Vomit and suicide

Sound asleep, faintly snoring in the warmth of his king sized bed, Damian and Jon lay side by side. The curtains were slightly open, letting soft, glowing moonlight trickle into the room as they dreamt.

All was quiet.  
And perfect.

 

That's when Talia al Ghul swung down from the top of the roof of the apartment, landing silently on a slightly rusted fire escape platform. She held up her gloved hand and clenched a fist, and 3 warriors dressed in all black lowered onto the platform surrounding Talia. She had already cut the power, ensuring any security systems failed to pick up her lifting up the window, slipping in like a shadow. She and her assassins crept around without a single sound, making their way over to the bed where the two young men lay. Talia looked at her grown son's sleeping face over for a few seconds, staring emotionlessly before tearing away, and grabbed a gag rag, placing it over Superboy's mouth, holding it there for a good minute before withdrawing. Her men then gingerly picked up the man from the bed cautiously, and just as quick as they entered, they exited. The al Ghul lingers, dropping her eyes to Damian's hand that was previously next to his lover's. She then turns to the bedside table, and digs a note out of her pocket, placing it down face side up. And just like that, she was gone.

~ 0 ~

Damian wakes to the feeling of sunlight trickling in his room from the slightly open window, casting a warm light over his face. He sits up when he realizes Jon was not beside him, glancing around curiously. He feels the part of the mattress where Jon should've been laying. Cold. He must've left relatively early in the morning. That was odd. Usually it was Damian who did the disappearing in the middle of the night.

The young Wayne stands up and lumbers over to the bathroom, investigating there to see if Jon was just getting ready early like he usually did. All was quiet. _Too_ quiet.

Damian makes his way back into the main section of his room and he spots a piece of paper sitting on the smooth wood. The sight makes his heart leap into his throat. _There's no way anyone could've gotten in without setting off an alarm._ He picks up the paper with shaky hands and begins to read.

 _No..._ Damian frowns deeply, feeling his fingers start to press into the paper's edges, crinkling it some. Without even putting on shoes, Damian sprints out of his apartment to the exit stairs at the end of the hallway. Skipping two stairs at a time, he swings open the door leading to the roof and almost trips when his eyes land on a _destroyed_ electric box, wires going every which way, metal bent in dysfunctional shapes. His gaze falls back to the piece of paper in his hand, and he feels the overwhelming weight of fear drag him to the rooftop, unable to form complete thoughts. After what felt like hours of just staring at the mostly blank slip of paper, Damian finally stumbles away, struggling to not fall down the stairs as he rushed as fast as he could back to his apartment, still feeling the after effects of the worst anxiety attack he's ever had in his life. The Wayne tears off his pajamas, and thrusts open the closet door, snagging his Robin uniform and frantically shoving on the tight armor and boots. Once he was fully geared up, he exits his apartment, heading for _hell_ , and leaving behind the piece of paper with one, singular word on it, written in all too familiar handwriting.

_Home_

~ 0 ~

Jon wakes slowly, feeling achy all over for some reason. He keeps his eyes closed for a little, wondering _how the hell_ he had such an awful headache. Not only that, but he was standing and _couldn't move_. His arms and legs were chained, he determined. After a few moments of trying not to freak out, he opens his eyes. Unfamiliar stone walls surround him, giving off the vibes of a cave and making Jon feel a little claustrophobic. Unlike the batcave, it felt cold and threatening, with green flames licking the stone from torches lining the walls. He tries to see beyond the walls of his... cell, but for some reason his x-ray vision isn't working.

Jon tugs on the chains forcing his arms up experimentally, and surprise; it doesn't give. He stills for the time being, waiting for something- or some _one_ \- to happen.

The cell wall behind Jon parts, and Talia al Ghul emerges, deciding that now the Kryptonian was awake to at least make chit chat before her son arrives… She circles around Superboy slowly, trying to figure out _why_ it was that her son chose this man to be his beloved. Was it because he was the son of Superman? Was it because he was strong? Talia knew for a fact, this man was _no_ warrior. Had he killed before? She doubted it.

"Jonathan Kent." Talia says, taking a step forward and meeting unamused crystal blue eyes.

Jon stares at the woman in front of him with narrowed eyes. "Who the hell are you? How do you know my name?"

"That's saddening to know, that your beloved never mentioned his _mother_." She frowns but other than that keeps her gaze from showing emotion, standing square in front of the Boy of Steel.

Jon studies the woman silently. She does look like Damian with her striking green eyes that pierce into your thoughts and fair black hair. "Alright," he says passively. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Certainty you should be able to figure _that_ out for yourself?" Talia lifts her chin, unsure of if she wants to leave or not. She could leave him confused. Or.. maybe not. Maybe she could at least be productive until Damian arrived.

"To draw Damian here?" Jon guesses. "He'll kick your ass."

Talia holds back a smirk, in exchange for a glance at the guards to leave the room. She didn't have much on her, but a sharp shard of kryptonite and herself was all she needed. "He'll be begging at my feet for _mercy_." She responds with, grabbing the lead composed container that held the green crystal. She flicked the lid open and her eyes seemed to darken. "For _your_ pathetic ass." She murmurs, the sentence barely audible, and she doubted Jon could even hear that if the kryptonite exposure was doing anything yet.

Jon barely manages not to shrink back from the green crystal, biting his tongue stubbornly. He expected this... monster of a woman to at least rough him up a little before Damian's arrival. He steels himself for what's to come.

A small snarl curls at the assassin's lip, slightly disgusted by the young hero in her wake. "You have _weaknesses,_ " She says slowly, eyes never leaving the somewhat nervous ones looking back at her. "And when those weaknesses are exploited, you are _nothing._ " Her voice lowers an octave, raising her fist that clenched the glowing green crystal. She was just inches away from Jon now, and beads of sweat already caked his cheeks and forehead.

The words mean nothing to Jon, perceived as just villainous banter. He lifts his head bravely, despite the fear churning in his gut. " _Fuck you._ "

Talia's sharp green eyes stare dead into Jon's, a lethal fire raging from deep within. She swiftly jabs down onto Superboy's chest, but is knowing to only break the skin, light but deep red blood responding to the weapon that tore a line in the pale skin. She twists her wrist at an angle, digging slightly into muscle. Painfully and cruelly slowly, Talia drags the green and now red crystal across Jon's chest, jaw clenched. "To survive, to thrive, to _live_ , you must rid yourself of all _weaknesses_."

Jon hisses, hands clenching in their restraints as Talia digs the Kryptonite into his skin and slowly drags it across his chest. He cries out weakly as the dagger twists slightly into his flesh, muscles straining to break free from the chains holding him up.

Talia was satisfied with the deep red line that marked itself all the way across Superboy's chest and removes the kryptonite, watching as the blood starts to drip slow and small drops onto the floor or his own legs. She enclosed her fist once more over the Kryptonite, making her fist glow a bit green. Talia draws back her fist and takes a quick slug over Jon's jaw, and then another lightning fast jab at his ribs, finishing with a throw to the Kryptonian's sternum, hearing an 'oof' from Jon as some air leaves his lungs. The assassin unclenches her fist then, dropping the crystal right bellow Jon, and she takes a step back, already spotting multiple bruises over the man's skin.

Jon studies the ground with weary blue eyes, breathing heavier than normal. He spits a bit of blood towards Talia's feet spitefully, eyes glinting dangerously. _When I get out of here, this lady is going_ down, Jon thinks to himself.

Talia ignores the red saliva that hits her boot in favor of turning to walk away from Jon, exiting the cell with a loud _bang_.

~0~

 

Damian could only fly the jet so fast. There _was_ a limit, and he was up to it. He was about another 300 miles out, but could get there well within under 20 minutes. He slips on his domino, clenching and unclenching his fists that were starting to sore from doing it so much. What was she doing to Jon? What is she _going_ to do with Jon? _To Jon._

No. She's not.

Not until Damian breathes his last breath. Meanwhile, he made sure he had his mini arsenal of grenades, smoke bombs and daggers. He had his bo staff and katana and he we just _itching_ to use all of it.

As he neared the League's territory, Damian made no attempt to go in stealth mode and decided the best way in with through the front door. The engine roared over the mountains and winds, and he finally laid eyes on hell. _Here goes nothing._

Talia is waiting patiently for Damian when he arrives, crashing through the ceiling with such fury she's almost proud. She smiles at her son with mock warmth as bits of stone fall around him, and says smoothly, "Hello, Damian. It's been a while."

"Cut the shit, where the hell is Jon and why did you _kidnap_ him?" Damian glares daggers at his mother, stomach twisting and churning just by thinking about all the hell she's put him and his family through.

Talia continues to smile at Damian, and waves one of her guards out without breaking her piercing gaze. "You betrayed the entire clan, my son. You've made clear where you stand; with the weak and poor. But I'm a patient woman. I've decided to give you a chance at redemption."

The guard comes in dragging along a helpless Jon, a Kryptonite shard held dangerously close to his neck. A few more guards surround Jon, chaining him to the ground and making sure he can't shake them off.

"And if you do not accept, I'm afraid your beloved will perish," she finishes without breaking her stoic expression.

Damian's eyes take on a fearful tone, seeing the condition Jon's in. He had no doubt been tortured, and thankfully it didn't look to be a lot. "You _bitch!_ " Damian snarls, fists clenching. "The hell he will! I could kill _all_ of you in this room before you could even _dream_ of killing him!" his voice bellows, fury and anger carrying it on with a message that he'll keep to his word and protect Jon, making sure no one harms him.

"If you move a single inch toward him, my guards have orders to slit his neck immediately," Talia explains evenly. The guard that had fetched Jon lets the Kryptonite dig into the flesh of his neck, forcing him to tilt his head back a little to avoid being cut. The Boy of Steel swallows visibly, beads of sweat rolling down the sides of his face.

"I wonder what you will choose. Yourself, or your lover?" Talia thinks out loud, leaning back comfortably in her seat. "Either way, I win."

Weighing his options wasn't an _option_. He could care less what happens to himself, and he would choose Jon any day. Damian looks right at Jon's eyes, trying to search them for some type of encouragement that things were going to be alright.

"I… _let Jon go._ " Damian spits it out violently, wanting for all of his to be over and Jon home safe. "Let him go."

"Is that your choice?" Talia inquires, raising an eyebrow.

"Dami, no-" Jon tries to say, but the movement of his throat causes the green crystal to break his skin slightly. He tries to send a message to Damian with his eyes instead, staring at him desperately. _Don't do it, Damian._

Damian flinches when he see's a small pool of red form at the surface cut, but he steadies himself by concentrating on Jon. "Yes. Yes- _Just let him go_!" The Robin says impatiently and still skittish, being worried about what's next to come. _I love you, Jon._ He knows Jon doesn't want him to do it, but he should also know by now that Damian never plays to anyone's rules either. _I love you..._

Talia nods at the guard, but instead of releasing Jon like Damian is expecting, he plunges the shard of Kryptonite into his throat.

All Jon can focus on is the _pain_ swallowing him up, attempting to scream to relive some of the pain but only managing to choke on his own blood. He convulses against the chains holding him down, mouth gaping as he tries to suck in precious air. All he succeeds in doing is making pathetic gurgling sounds that almost amuse Talia. Almost.

Damian lets out a blood curling scream of _absolute terror_ as the green crystal sinks into Jon's throat as if he was made of anything but steel. Fear starts to burn up inside Damian, and his screams never die out, and he wasn't completely sure of what it was he was screaming. He goes sprinting towards his beloved, but is grabbed back by the cape by two guards, and Damian eyes them with the most. _Hatful. Lethal. Furious. Angry. Disgusted. Dead. Horrified. Vengeful. Helpless_ look he could muster, and punches them _hard_ in their throats, a sickly choking sound coming from them as they hit the ground.

Talia stands, all traces of a smile gone from her face. She flees the scene quietly, sneaking out a secret exit and leaving behind the unfortunate guards who would inevitably be caught in Damian's blind rage.

Jon is drowning in his own blood, black starting to invade his vision. He's vaguely aware of warm tears dripping down his face, but everything feels like a dream. All sound is muffled as if he's underwater, and Jon can see Damian furiously hacking and slashing through the many guards, fighting to get to him.

He feels lighter, as if being carried by angels into the heavens, but he can't leave. Not yet. Not when there was still so much left to say...!

Jon tries to get Damian's attention, but more rivulets of thick crimson liquid cascade down his chin instead. He finally welcomes the darkness, crystal blue eyes glazing over. _I love you._

Once Damian had seen Jon fall onto the floor, blood flowing out of him like a gushing river, the Robin let out _every single bit of rage in him._ He charged at everyone man, shoving his sword deep within their guts and then finishing them off with a blow to their neck. But the guard that slit Jon's throat? If Damian had more time and self control, the son of a bitch would have been tortured until he wished he was never born.

Intense green eyes with tears streaming down, splatters of blood dappled on his cheeks, lay on Jon and he almost screams once more.

"JON!" he yells, practically falling to get himself over to his lover. "JON _NO_! WAKE UP!! BELOVED, WAKE UP!" Damian's ugly, broken yell was thick and sorrowful, and he threw his blood covered sword away from himself as he hunched over the son of Superman.

Jon remains unresponsive. The life has faded from his eyes, and if it weren't for the chains holding him up, he would've long since fallen to the floor. A pool of sticky blood collects below him, more of the red substance still dripping from his mouth and throat onto the cold stone floor. The trails of tears staining his bruised face are still visible.

When Jon was not responding, Damian starts mumbling and sobbing quiet words, not believing what he was seeing. _Is this a nightmare? Please let me wake up._

"Why can't I wake up?!" Damian sobs out and grabs onto Jon's shoulders and shakes him a little bit, thoughts turning dark and hysterical. "Jon! Jon--we have to go _home_. YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE!" He screeches out, voice cracking and barely keeping together before he completely broke down into tears, deep ugly sobs and shivers racking his body.

Damian doesn't stop crying until he feels empty inside, and cups Jon's cheek so he can lift his face. The sight of the glowing Kryptonite going straight through his throat makes him want to throw up, so he does, aiming downwards so he doesn't get Jon any more messed up. The vomit mixes with Jon's blood and Damian gags at the sight, but there's nothing left to throw up so he dry heaves uncomfortably for a few moments.

He stares into Jon's lifeless eyes and takes a shaky breath, wishing he had died with his beloved. He leans forward to kiss him gently, not caring about the metallic taste of blood.

"You didn't deserve to die.. you de--” Damian coughs and winces, voice sore from him vomiting. "You deserved the world, Jon. I'm so sorry.. I'm so so sorry.." He holds onto Jon's face so the man wouldn't leave, hoping Jon was still alive. " _I love you so much…_ "

Damian stays by Jon's side until the warmth has left his body. Only then does he reach for his sword with shaky arms, staring at it in his hands blankly. _Jon is dead. There is no reason to stay on this wretched earth... Perhaps I will see him in the afterlife. I'm sure he'll have gone to heaven, though..._ Damian sets his jaw and plunges the sword into his chest, piercing his heart immediately. He falls back onto the stone floor, eyes glazing over with the same lifelessness that clouded Jon's. A small smile spreads across his face when he sees Jon coming down from the stars to retrieve his soul, hoping it wasn't just a hallucination.

Damian bleeds out in the home of his enemies with the love of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy angst without a happy ending! We were strong this time >:)


	13. Broken (Bluepulse)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart is about to confess to Jaime, but something happens...
> 
> Feat. Tim being a pal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jaime and Tim  
> SAS as Bart

Today was the day.  
Bart could feel it, he knew he was feeling confident that day. He was feeling extra bubbly and excited, and he decided he would do it today. He ran off to his room and spent around thirty minutes on making himself look presentable. Yeah, he used superspeed. But it took 30 minutes! Despite his confidence, Bart was still worried. For a lot of things. But he tried to push all of his worries aside as he stepped out of his room and sped to the commons room, grabbing a water from the fridge and 'waits casually' for Jaime to show up.

Jaime lumbers into the commons room, casually dressed with a t-shirt and jeans. He runs a hand through his hair and smiles at Bart when he sees him leaning against the counter, water in hand. "Hey, Bart. Sleep well?"

"Blue! Hey, yeah I did!" Bart says with a beaming smile, even though he was _already_ getting nervous. He looks down at his water for a second, wondering to himself why it was suddenly so hard to make conversation. His heart was racing like a jet, and his mind was running crazy. "How bout you?"

"Yeah," Jaime answers simply, opening the fridge. "Damn. I think Gar stole my food again." He shrugs and reaches for the milk, pouring it into a bowl with some cereal. "I think I'm gonna have to have a talk with Gar about not stealing my food. I'm getting real tired of eating cereal every morning."

Bart watches Jaime sit down, and contemplates sitting down next to him, but decides he probably shouldn't, that'd probably make his nerves spike up to an unhealthy level. "What did he steal?" He asks after taking a sip of his water to calm himself down.

"A sandwich," Jaime grumbles, munching on a large bite of his sucky breakfast. "It's no big, though. I can deal." He stretches his arms upwards with a groan, trying to shake off his morning sleepiness.

The speedster gives a 'hmm', even though his mind is practically screaming at him to just ask Jaime out for lunch later, Bart's treat. _Nononoimnotreadyforthat._ He sets his drink down on the counter and speeds off, glass rattling after he does so. He returns no more than 10 seconds later with about 3 bags filled with sandwiches from local shops. Here's grinning and sets the bags on the counter, grabbing out a bacon egg and cheese sandwich and digging in. "Problem solved."

Jaime stares at the sandwiches with a slightly agape mouth for a few seconds before looking up at a grinning Bart. "You really didn't have to do that, but thanks...!" He reaches into one of the bags, not really caring which one he got. _Anything_ was better than cereal for the seventh day in a row.

"I know I didn't _have_ to but I wanted to." He smiles wide, somewhat proud of himself. "Cause uh, I was hungry too." He add's nervously but truthfully and takes a big bite from his sandwich. _Just don't screw up. All you have to do is ask him to dinner. Or lunch, or something. Whydidn'tithinkaboutaplacetoaskhimouttoo?!_

Jaime munches on his egg salad sandwich, grateful for the change in taste for once. "You're the best, Bart," he says with a smile. "Dunno what I'd do without you."

Bart's heart swells at that, a small and bashful smile lingering as he eats the rest of his sandwich with a slight flush on his freckled cheeks. Once he's through with that, Bart fidgets a little before taking in a breath and swallowing all his doubts and nerves. "Hey Jaime?"

"Yeah?" Jaime asks, looking up questioningly. He sees the familiar form of Traci walk up behind Bart and waves at her. She smiles and comes around the counter to kiss him on the cheek. Jaime's heart flutters a little and he beams at his girlfriend.

"Sorry," Jaime says, turning back to Bart. "You were saying?"

Everything seems to move in slow motion, and Bart guesses he probably slipped into relative time. He can see every small movement happen right before him, and watches in agony as Jaime's eyes light up when Traci pecks him on the cheek. He seems to be watching for hours. Hours of Jaime's chocolate brown eyes gazing dreamily at Traci. And for hours, Bart can't even breath. It's a mixture between struggled and sharp inhales, with shaky and slow exhales. He finally comes back to relative time, a neutral expression on after forcing himself to calm down.

"O-oh you're fine. I was.. gonna ask if you knew where.. my goggles went?" He thinks up at the last second, screaming internally. _Gottagogottagogottago.._

"Hm... no, sorry," Jaime answers, picking up on Bart's panicked vibe. "Are you-" The speedster disappears from his vision suddenly. "-okay...?"

Bart speeds off to his room, only staying in there for a second. Someone would come looking for him in his room. He didn't want to see anyone right now. Not when he felt all of the walls closing in on him, like he'd just been sucker punched in the mouth then slammed into the ground. His breathing was heavy and and loud, and he felt himself getting dizzy. Bart speeds right out of his room, right out of the base, right out of the city and just keeps running. He keeps running until he feels like he's going to Luke, so he stops and regains himself. The tears fall to the ground, and he suddenly realizes he wasn't in his suit. He ejects it from his rings and speeds into it quickly, just standing with a dumb look on his face. He didn't know what to do. What's he supposed to do?

"It's just my luck." He says aloud with a hysterical tone, and begins to sadly laugh, tears streaming down his red and wind burnt cheeks. He didn't even know where he was. It was slightly cooler and there was thick forests all around him. This wouldn't do. The trees were leaning in on him, threatening to fall. He zooms back out of the forest and runs for hours. Bart's exhausted. He runs back into the bad and heads straight for his room, vining through all the walls and collapses on his bed, quietly sobbing into his sheets.

~ 0 ~

Tim notices Bart had been missing all day. That was something that had never happened; the energetic speedster was always seeking someone to talk to and spend time with. Tim wondered if he found out about Jaime and Traci. It was likely, since Bart spent every breathing moment either with Jaime or thinking about Jaime. Worried for his friend's well being, he makes his way to Bart's room and knocks on the door gently.

"Bart?" he calls softly. "Are you okay?"

 _Tim._  
Bart's sort of bloodshot eyes flew open and he lifted his head off of his pillow slightly. "..I'm--" His voice was barely audible, and his throat hurt like hell. He clears his throat and swallows, calling out once more, "I'm fine..I'm just feeling sick.." And it was sort of true. He never got over the nauseous feeling that was rooted in his gut, and he had a pounding headache from crying so much. His eyes stung and his whole body hurt.

Tim isn't convinced, but decides to play along with Bart's lie until he can get inside. "I'm coming in, okay?" He reaches for the doorknob.

The speedster buries himself under all of his blankets and sheets, shaking in a tight ball as he hid. "Tim.. I'm fine.. you don't have to come in, _don't come in.._ He says shakily, lip quivering, so he bites down and breathes out through his teeth when he hears the doorknob start to turn.

Tim stops turning the doorknob temporarily, not wanting to ruin Bart's trust in him by ignoring his plea. "Are you sure you don't want me to? You sound like you could use some help," Tim says knowingly.

"You can't help with this." Is all Bart says, sighing loudly into his blankets. His heart was saying he _wanted_ a shoulder to cry on, but Tim didn't want to listen to that.  
_But he's offering help.._  
"I'm a mess." Bart adds, sniffing and wiping his runny nose on his shirt sleeve.

Tim takes Bart's last comment as an "I need help" and enters, closing the door behind him and spotting the speedster attempting to hide in a pile of blankets. He takes a seat on the mattress and tries to peel the blankets off of his friend. "Is this about Jaime?"

Bart shivers when the blanket's warmth leaves him, (he had a long sleeve tee on and some shorts, but he was still cold.) and he only curls into a smaller ball, hands rubbing nervously along his legs. "How'd you guess...?" He says without humor, quietly as he stared down at the mattress.

Tim puts a warm hand on the younger boy's shoulder, peering into his lowered eyes. "Wasn't that hard to figure out, if I'm being honest," he says. "Look, I'm not the best with relationship advice, but I'm here to listen if you want to talk."

Bart leans into the comforting hand, and his glossy green eyes raise some to look at his friend. There's a small smile that appears for a second, before he frowns once more. "I'm.. I'm just _so stupid_." He squeaks out, eyes shutting tightly.

Tim peers at Bart, encouraging him to elaborate silently.

"Why didn't I try to confess _sooner?_ Not even that. Why did I even _think_ he could _possibly_ like me, Tim?" Bart rubs at his eye, trying to will the tears away. His eyes already stung enough.

"You were in love," Tim says sympathetically, removing his hand from Bart's shoulder. "It's hard to see clearly when you're in love."

Cringing at the word, Bart nods. He shifts a little and rotates so he's closer to Tim, and lays his head on the elder's leg. Bart's auburn hair flops over his eyes as he closes them, sniffling. "What if I don't ever get over him...?"

"I... don't know," Tim says honestly. _If Kon didn't return his feelings for me... I'm not sure what I'd do._ "But you'll be okay, Bart. I know you will." Tim smiles down at the speedster, resting a gentle hand in his hair.

"It's okay." Bart whispers, but more so repeating it so that maybe he would believe it himself, and smiles sadly. "I'm really happy you're such a great friend." He adds softly, awkwardly reaching an arm around Tim and squeezing him as tight as he could.

"Happy to help..." Tim says, returning the lopsided hug. He stays by Bart until his hiccuping breaths are gone and he falls asleep in his lap. The Robin lays him out gently across his bed and draws one of his blankets over him. He exits the room with a heavy heart. _He'll be okay._


	14. Space Prince (AmiJon/Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A space prince falls from the sky and wins Jon's heart. Damian is jealous but refuses to say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jon  
> SAS as Amir  
> Both of us as Damian, Bruce, and Hal
> 
> Requested by [desolationofzara](http://desolationofzara.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> [Amir art gallery](https://goo.gl/photos/rMixoaLp4mixPz8f7)

It’s just another Sunday afternoon. Jon is outside feeding the cows and chickens when he hears... _screaming_ from outside the barn.

 _What the heck is that??_ he thinks, racing outside to find a figure _falling_ from the sky.

"Oh my God!!" Jon leaps into the air, racing to catch the person before they hit the ground. He comes up beneath them and encases them in his arms protectively, bracing for impact.

Superboy hits the ground with an _oof_ , earth shattering and breaking from the force of their fall. He's still for a moment, trying to blink away the pain throbbing all over his body.

Amir was _certain_ he was about to die. He wasn't ready to die?! He had screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping someone would hear him or notice.

His prayers were answered when he was scooped into strong arms and never felt the full impact when they hit the ground. Amir had his eyes shut tight, and he opens an eye, guessing and hoping he's still alive. _What?? Who??_ Amir sits up instantly, coughing through the dust and dirt that had flew into the air around them. He looks around at his surroundings, seeing blue skies, green trees and grass plains as far as his eyes could see.

Amir's attention returns back to the body below him, and he immediately collapses onto the--what he guessed to be a human--and wraps his arms around them, squeezing tightly. "Oh thank you, oh thank you, oh thank you!" Amir chants, nuzzling into their shoulder.

"Ugh," Jon groans, all the air being squeezed out of him once more. He taps the being's shoulder gently, trying to get them off him. _As much as I love a hug and a thanks, I can't breathe...!_

"Apologies!" Amir says frantically and pushes away, eyes taking in _the view_. He gasps and his jaw drops to the floor practically. "Oh my _stars_! You're beautiful!"

Jon is frozen under the beautiful dark eyes of the... _alien_ he had just rescued. I'm _beautiful? Then what the hell are you??_

Jon doesn't think he's seen anything more gorgeous in his entire life, and he finds himself speechless from the sheer beauty of the creature. A slow blush dusts his cheeks pink, but he shakes it off hastily.  
"Who are you? Why did you _fall from the sky_?!"

Amir moves his face closer the human's studying the features. He had only seen a few before, but none of the male gender. They were quite remarkable, and it took all of his power not to hug the boy once more. But Amir realized that might make his savior uncomfortable, and decides against it. After he was satisfied with his inspection, he pulls back and clears his throat. "I am Prince Amir, member of the Purple Lantern Corps." The alien states, pride and authority thick in his silky smooth voice.

"There's a Purple Lantern Corps? Since when?" Jon inquires, *very* confused. He stands up and dusts off his clothes, studying the alien in all his glory.

He's lean and a little on the short side, a long translucent cape flowing behind him and a graceful suit fit perfectly around his body, framing all the best parts shamelessly. His hair is fluffy and a creamy blonde, framing a flawless face with strange yet breathtaking markings all over it. His skin is just a few shades darker than his hair, and it looks so smooth Jon wants to reach out and touch it. He manages to contain himself.

"Uh! Since _ever_! I think--we're just as important as the Green Lanterns though! I swear, we don't get enough recognition.." Amir frowns, disheartened by this news. How had the humans _not_ heard of the Purple Lanterns??! After all, one of their own _is_ a human herself! Amir rocks back on his heels, puffing his cheeks in a pout, while he crossed his toned arms.

"Um," Jon says intelligently. "And... why were you falling out of the sky?"

Amir holds up his hand, a glossy violet ring within his small palm. "It lost its charge.. I'm far away from home, and I could not contact my fellow members. I knew that one of our members--and fellow lanterns--inhabit the Earth, so I traveled here and used up the last bit of my ring's energy." He explains, eyes falling to the ground. "I'm a 'newbie' as you could call it.. I'm not the best.."

"You are _very_ lucky you fell here, you know that?" Jon says, staring into those beautiful eyes. He doesn't even want to imagine what would've happened if Amir had landed somewhere where there were no superheroes conveniently standing around and waiting for aliens to drop out of the sky.

"I guess I am." Amir smiles charmingly, perfect teeth beaming at Jon. "I met you." He adds, gesturing his hand to the boy in front of him. "What is your name?" He perks up, straightening his posture and fixing his sagging shoulders.

"Jonathan Kent. Most people just call me Jon," Superboy answers immediately without thinking about the consequences. _Dammit. Way to keep your secret identity, Jon._

Amir steps forward and without hesitation takes Jonathan's hand in his and bows, kissing the back of the boy's pale hand. He stands, and lets his eyes roam back over his features, and Amir tilts his head slightly. "Jonathan, are you a Prince?" _He_ has _to be. How else would he be this attractive?_

"Uh..." Jon stares at the spot Amir's lips brushed against, mind going blank. _Did he just... ohhh my God._ He continues to stare at the spot for a solid few seconds before shaking his head as if trying to physically clear his mind. "Uh- No. I'm not. Why?"

After staring dumbfounded at Jonathan for a moment, he tilts his head up and at an angle, still unsure if that was true or not. "You _have_ to be. You are _remarkably_ gorgeous. Your dark hair contrasts perfectly with your white skin, and your crystal blue eyes are _insanely_ bright. How?" Amir also notes the small, rounded ears at the side of the boy's head, and his rounded cheekbones, no doubt from baby fat still lingering. He was quite tall despite how young in age he looked, and there was already slight muscle on his legs and arms..

"Oh." The blush comes back, and full force this time. "I, uh... don't know? You don't look so bad yourself." _What. No, take that back._

Amir shifts his arms to around his back neatly, suddenly finding a rock on the ground compelling to look at as a pink dusts his marked cheeks. "Thank you, Jonathan. I'm flattered.." He says softly, voice light as a feather.

"Mhm," Jon grunts, embarrassed and flustered all at once. "I think... We should get you back home. To _my_ home, I mean." He picks Amir up and flies them back to the farm. He decides against going inside his house for the time being. Not until he calls Damian.

He sets Amir down gently onto the grass and digs out his phone, beginning to call his friend.

Amir looks around his surroundings again at the big red structure that appeared to be made from wood, and a sort of pentagon shaped--oh it was a house. Jonathan's home. _So that's what they look like..? Quite small.._

"What is that?" Amir walks in front of Jon, tilting his head down at the small flat rectangle of technology. "A compact hologram player?" He muses, watching intently at the boy's white fingers went _tap_ softly on the surface.

"A cellphone," Jon says, the explanation ending as soon as it began when Damian picks up.

"Hey, I may have a tiny problem."

Damian puts his phone to his ear, tilting his head to push and hold it to his shoulder as he fed Titus. "Yes, Jon?" He asks with a fake worry in his voice. "Pee the bed again, child?"

"Haha, very mature," Jon says, unamused. "Look, an alien just fell out of the sky and I caught him but I don't think he can get home."

A slight frown falls over Damian's lips as he pours kibble into a metal bowl, then takes the phone into his hand. "An _alien_? Jon, are you safe?" He asks even though Jon was practically invincible and had laser vision.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Jon says, waving his hand in the air despite Damian not being able to see him. "I don't think _he_ is, though. I don't know what to do. He says he's part of the 'Purple Lantern Corps'."

Damian nearly chokes on air, scoffing so hard. " _Excuse_ me? How--does he have proof?" Damian then hears a 'Show him my ring' in the background, and Jon shortly explains that he can't do that when he's only _calling_ someone. The voice replies with a grunt.

"Just... get over here." Jon ends the call before Damian can make a smartass retort and sighs, looking back at Amir. His breath is stolen from him once more and he has to remind himself to _stop getting lost in those eyes, dammit-_

"What's going on?" Amir searches his new friend's face, noting how he was slightly annoyed and mostly exhausted. "Are you feeling okay, Jon?"

"My 'friend' can get annoying sometimes," Jon explains shortly. "Don't worry about it; I've been dealing with him for years now." Jon takes a seat in the grass. "While we're waiting, we might as well tell each other about ourselves, don't'cha think?"

Amir smiles warmly and plops down close in front of Jon, gazing at the younger's beautiful sky eyes. "That would be pleasant. Where to begin? My home planet is Valzad, and I'm a Prince. I don't have any siblings, sadly. I am.. 14 earth years old? I believe?" Amir crosses his thin legs under himself, and brushes a lock of buttercup colored hair behind his pointed ear.

"I'm half human, half Kryptonian, and I'm 13 years old," Jon begins. "I live on this farm with my family, and I also lead a double life as Superboy."

" _Kryptonian!_ " Stars dance in Amir's eyes, a wide open mouthed smile shooting across his lips. " _That_ is why you are so handsome! Kryptonian's are very fair, if I do say so myself.." Amir adds sheepishly, a flush returning to his cheeks.

Jon's face flushes a deep shade of red at that, giving an amused smile. "You are very charming, Amir." Jon already feels like he can tell the alien anything despite having just met. It's a nice change from Damian's cold and distant way of showing affection.

Amir chuckles, warmth fluttering in his stomach as he tilts his head down towards the soft green grass at his fingertips. His blond hair falls flush over his ears, framing the sides of his tanned and blushed cheeks.

"So are you, Superboy. You must be very strong--of course you are, you carried me here. And you can _fly_. I wish I had that as a _natural_ ability. Oh stars, what _else_ can you do?" he asks wondrously after picking a few blades of grass from the soft soil they sat over.

"I can have laser and x-ray vision, frost breath, and superhearing," Jon lists with a smile, glad he can amuse _someone_ with his abilities. "How about you? Doesn't have to be powers- more like hobbies if you want."

After practically 'ooo'ing over Jon and what he could do, Amir proudly speaks up. "I can tell other's emotions. Everyone associates Valzadians with love, because it is our strongest emotion." He ponders on the thought. "An _empath_ , I guess you could say. But, not exactly." He shrugs. "Valzadians are also very connected with music, and it's one of the biggest parts of our culture."

"Sweet," Jon comments, and he thinks the word really is appropriate because Amir is so sweet he thinks his teeth are rotting just _looking_ at him.

It's then when Damian comes rolling up into his driveway on his motorcycle, taking off his helmet and jogging over to Jon. "So. This is the alien?" The Robin sweeps a calculating gaze over Amir. _Huh._

"Jonathan, this must be your friend!" Amir beams and runs up to hug the short boy, but a hand pushing at his chest blocks him front the desired contact.

 _What?_ "So. You say you are a member of the Purple Lantern Corps. The _hell_ are you on Earth for?" Damian raises an eyebrow and looks the seeming younger boy up and down. He was different looking. Not a bad thing, but _sure_ not human.

"I crash landed," Amir explains. "I couldn't get home with the amount of charge my ring had, so I came here. You have a lantern who lives here, correct?"

Damian glances at Jon, then the alien, then his phone. He was still mostly unconvinced, but he decided to humor the boy. "Correct. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm calling in father to see what he can do..about this. Jon, where is _your_ father?"

"Off doing important hero stuff, I guess," Jon says. "Are you sure we should call Batman? I don't think he'd know what to do in this situation either."

"He can get Green Lantern, someone who _would_ know what to do. Hopefully he's not offworld." Damian says before walking off a few paces make the call.

Amir watches intently as the young man goes, somewhat confused but still intrigued by this mysterious friend. "He seems fierce." Amir comments, turning back to face Jon. "He does not seem to like me."

"Don't take it personally. He doesn't like _anyone_ ," Jon says with a snicker.

Amir sort of giggles, and walks a step closer to Jon. "I guess so. But I can tell, he does seem to like _you._ "

" _Like_ me? He makes fun of me every moment we're together," Jon scoffs in disbelief. _Damian Wayne liking a poor country boy... I can only imagine,_ Jon thinks humorlessly.

"I've observed that little boys tend to do that. He's teasing, or maybe showing he's very comfortable around you." Amir says with a shrug of his shoulders and rests a hand on Jon's arm gingerly. "Trust me, I can tell he doesn't dislike you. He might just not know how to handle certain feelings." He smiles reassuringly.

Jon stares at Amir's hand on his arm, then up at his face. A small smile forms on his lips, and he nods. "Thank you."

Amir feels a flutter of warmth in his tummy and he stretches his arms out and around Jon, hugging him tightly. It lasts a few seconds before he pulls himself away with an deep embarrassed flush on his dotted cheeks.

"I'm sorry! I know you probably did not want that much physical contact, I won't do it again," Amir says quickly, rubbing the back of his neck and shifting on his feet awkwardly.

"No, you're fine," Jon insists with a smile. "I... I like it."

Damian coughs, staring at the two. "A little quiet, please? He's picking up."

Amir presses his lips together and hushes himself, glancing over at Damian, then looks back to Jon. Amir's beautifully marked hand slips into Jon's, and the alien tugs his new friend out into the grass fields more, so they could give Damian some peace and quiet.

"What's there to do on earth? What do _you_ do, besides being an amazing superhero, who sometimes saves random aliens that fall from the sky?" Amir laughs lightly as he swings their hands back and forth.

"Lots." Amir's laughter rings like the chiming of bells, and Jon would be content listening to that sound for all of eternity. "I like music and nature and people. All sorts of things." Jon feels a warmth blossoming in his stomach as they walk hand-in-hand, squeezing Amir's gently. "How about you?"

Entranced with Jon, Amir barely remembers how to talk. He sort of shakes his head at himself, and starts to speak. "I _love_ music. I'm happy you like too. Back at my home, my mother taught me to sing and dance and it's something I enjoy doing when I have the chance." He thinks back on his planet, where there would be festivals all of the time, and how he would dance in his room or with people he knew, impressing the eyes of many.

"That's amazing," Jon says honestly, laughing sheepishly. "I don't think I could dance if my life depended on it."

Amir looks over Jon, confused. "But you have the perfect body to be a dancer!" he exclaims, taking Jon's other hand. "Anyone can dance! It's not about if you're good, or experienced. You just have to feel the beat and flow to it." Amir states firmly, and spins Jon around quickly so the younger's back is flush up against Amir's chest. He spins Jon back around with a slight humorous giggle, and sways them back and forth. "Come on, let's try it!"

Jon squeaks as Amir spins him around, his back pressed right up against the alien's chest. His entire face and the tips of his ears flush a furious red, and he welcomes it. He starts to laugh heartily as they spin around on the field, Amir leading and Jon having no clue what he's doing. He tries to match the beat Amir is moving with, and to his surprise, mostly succeeds.

"You're a _natural_ , Jonathan!" Amir laughs as his eyelids flutter closed, getting lost within their rhythm. _This is so much fun!_ He thinks as he brings Jon in close and spins the both around, heart light and giddy. He drapes his arms over the boy's shoulders and leans in while still laughing breathlessly, resting his forehead against Jon's.

Jon brings his hands to Amir's waist instinctively and picks him up, spinning them around, foreheads still pressed together.

Amir takes in a breath of air as he feels himself leave the ground, and hugs himself tighter to Jon. He picks his legs up behind him, giggling uncontrollably. Amir's dark eyes open and find themselves drowning in Jon's aqua blue gaze, and the prince finds himself wishing he could stare into them forever.

Jon takes an off step while they're spinning, and trips backwards into the soft grass. He laughs at his mistake, and keeps laughing until it hurts, arms still wrapped around Amir's slim waist.

"Whoa!" Amir squeaks as he feels a _whoosh_ of air ruffle his hair as they tumble to the ground, laughter filling the air. Amir grins as wide as he can, and rests his head on top of Jon's taking in the boy's sweet scent. Curious, Amir nuzzles his small nose into dark raven hair, and almost gasps. "You smell like _honey_!" He whispers, sighing dreamily.

Jon smiles back at Amir, laughter ceasing and quieting down to a comfortable silence. He doesn't really know where to go from here, so he stays down, head against the grass and Amir laying on top of him.

Amir hears a ruffling sound in the grass ahead, and looks up to see a somewhat disgusted Damian, tapping his foot impatiently. "Nap time?" He muses, giving an eye roll.

Jon shifts so he can lift Amir up, and stands fully. "What'd he say?"

"He's heading over now with Green Lantern," Damian says. "We are fortunate they were both in the Watchtower when I called."

"I can't believe I get to meet a Green Lantern..." Amir whispers shocked, and digs his ring out of his pocket, frowning. _I hope the other Star Sapphires aren't worried about me.._ "What's... a Watchtower?" He says with a puzzling look, frowning at Damian.

"None of your business," Damian snaps, narrowing his eyes at Amir.

"Damian!" Jon scolds, glaring at his friend.

">tt<" Damian rolls his eyes, both at Jon and Amir. "Well it _isn't._ "

Amir shrugs slightly, and gives a small smile. "It's okay. It must be important then."

Damian nods, still wearing a slightly displeased look. "So. What are you? Your race." He asks with little to no interest, only doing so to obtain info.

"Valzadian," Amir says. "You've probably never heard of us. We live light years away!"

For once, Damian in fact did _not_ know of that race. "Interesting. How did you.. become a Purple Lantern?" Damian crosses his arms, confused as to why a small-world Prince found himself with the power ring.

"My planet was attacked and the Star Sapphires came to help, but one of them died. The ring chose me to fill in her place, though I have no idea why," Amir adds with a small frown. His smile is back before Jon can even blink. "I'm glad to have landed here, though. Earth really is a wonderful planet."

Damian nods slow, acknowledging the alien's story. "You're lucky you did. And you're lucky you landed _where_ you did." He grunts, and pulls out his phone. "Father says he'll be here very soon. Green Lantern says that he contacted the Star Sapphires already, but there wasn't a response. We'll try again once they get here."

Jon nods. "Sounds good."

Suddenly, a low rumbling noise cuts through the silence, and Amir's eyes go wide. Damian looks around, slightly concerned. Amir gives an awkward laugh and lowers his gaze. "Uh.. do you think we could eat? All that space travel made me hungry.." He folds his arms across his stomach and smiles sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah! Of course!" Jon leads the way to his home, opening the door for his two friends and closing it behind them. "Hm..." He shuffles through the cabinets and refrigerator, trying to find something he can cook with.

Amir walks in and is instantly finding himself looking at everything, touching and moving and inspecting objects because everything was just so _interesting_. He got a few odd looks from Damian, but continues to contently discover and wander the kitchen and living room.

Jon pulls out a few containers of fruit and vegetables and the blender, and mixes a few smoothies for everyone. He gets out some pancake mix too, even though it's lunch time, and starts the stove up.

There were a few stools by the counter, and Amir hops up into one, tucking his legs under himself. He was just so _amazed_ by all of this. Amir takes a sip of his smoothie and his dark eyes go wide, a shocked squeak escaping him. He starts to chug down the the smoothie, Damian staring at him the whole time from the stool next to Amir's.

"Slow down?" He suggests, and Amir obeys, setting the smoothie back onto the counter.

"That is _good_."

"That was a berry smoothie!" Jon calls from the stove, pleased that he could impress Amir. He pours the pancake mix onto the pan he had readied and continues cooking, the sweet smell wafting into the air.

"Ohhh," Amir comments, bringing his elbow onto the table to cradle his head in his hands. He watches Jon work, amused with the little bubbles forming in the batter and is beyond baffled when Jon _flips_ the pancake over, a hissing sizzling noise filling the air. "How'd it do that??" Amir asks, staring at the light golden brown top of the pancake.

" _Magic_." Damian says, taking a sip of his smoothie as he scrolled through media on his phone.

"You can do _magic_ too??" Amir says, wide eyed with wonder.

Jon chuckles and shoots a teasing glance at Damian. "Don't say stuff like that! He'll believe it!"

Damian chuckles and returns to drinking his smoothie. "Whatever. Maybe you _can _do magic, and you just don't know it _yet_ ," he teases back.__

__"Can my father do magic? No? Didn't think so," Jon says with a grin down at the last pancake. He puts it on a plate and takes it to Amir, then gets his and Dami's. "There you go!" Jon says cheerfully, grabbing some syrup from the cabinet. "Tell me if it needs anything."_ _

__Amir presses his lips together, and picks up the pancake in his hands, inspecting the light fluffiness of it. He takes a tiny bite of it and smiles. It wasn't like anything he had really had before, and it tasted so soft. He opens his mouth more this time and starts to eat. "This is great!" Amir praises in between bites, eyes shining._ _

__Jon gives him a fork and gestures to put the pancake down, which he does. He then pours a bit of syrup onto his pancakes. "Do you know how to use this?" Jon asks, gesturing to the fork._ _

__With the shake of his head, Amir takes the metal in his hand, and raises an eyebrow. "We uh, just ate with our hands. Is it like..?" He sort of just stabs the pancake, but he does it too hard and it cuts easily through the food and clanks onto the plate. "Oops."_ _

__Jon takes his fork in his own hand, and grabs a knife from the drawer. He begins to cut the pancake into little bite-sized pieces and gives the fork back to Amir once he's done. "There! That should be easier to pick up."_ _

Amir sort of looks worriedly at Jon. _Why does he keep a dagger weapon in his drawer??_

__He shrugs and tries scooping up the pieces this time with the fork, attempting to bring it to his mouth but they fall off before he even gets halfway. "Hhrng." Amir bites his lip in frustration._ _

__"Here," Jon says gently, taking the fork once more. He stabs a piece and lifts it to Amir's mouth._ _

__{Author’s Note: On Amir’s planet, feeding each other is something couples would do as an intimate act of love.}_ _

__Amir opens his mouth and closes it over the fork and pulls back so he can chew. A faint dust of pink falls over his cheeks, and he swallows with a small smile._ _

Damian tries hard to be consumed in his phone, trying hard not to glare daggers into the back of Amir's head. _Just go back to using your damn hands, you fool._

__Jon continues to feed Amir, scraping a bit of syrup off the plate with each bite. "It's better with the syrup, right?"_ _

__Amir nods enthusiastically, and in his mind he can't stop thinking of wanting to feed Jon, too. He tries hard not to, because he still feels an intense heat at his face, and he can tell that it must be obvious._ _

__Jon smiles warmly at Amir's eagerness and lifts the last piece to his mouth. He glances over at Damian and notices he hardly touched his plate. "Dami- I mean Robin, why aren't you eating?"_ _

__Damian looks up from his phone, then down to his plate. "I'm suddenly not too hungry." He replied simply, then goes back to his phone. Hopefully Hal and Bruce would arrive shortly and save Damian from this disgusting rom-com he was watching happen right in front of him. He wasn't jealous._ _

__Jon shrugs. "Suit yourself." He scarfs down Damian's plate in addition to his own in a matter of minutes, and hears a knock on the door. He runs to answer it and finds the one and only Batman at the door, with Green Lantern trailing behind him. No matter how many times Jon saw Damian's father, he always intimidated him._ _

__"Hello, sir!" Jon says with a salute._ _

__Batman looks down at Jon and nods. "So where--" He notices the blond haired boy, cape flowing over the stool he was perched on. "Hm." He grunts, and Hal grins wide._ _

__"Hey, newbie!" He calls, and Amir's head whips around and his dark eyes widen tremendously._ _

__He runs forward to give Hal a hug, smiling wide. "It's an honor to meet you!"_ _

Hal looks down at the young boy, laughing lightly. "It's an honor to meet _you._ " he ruffles Amir's hair a bit, and the prince looks up at the elder lantern beaming. 

"I'm Amir! I didn't know I was going to get to meet _Hal Jordan_ when they said 'Green Lantern'!" He squeaks, giddy with joy. 

__"Life's full of surprises," Damian says sarcastically, hopping down from his stool. "But we've gotta find out how to get Amir back to where he came from."_ _

__Amir slightly nods, while Hal frowns deeply at Robin. "He is right. The Star Sapphires might get worried if I don't return to our homeworld soon.." Amir takes his ring out and shows it to Hal. "It ran out of charge, and my Lantern is back at our base.." he explains sadly, and Hal gives a smile._ _

__"It's okay kiddo. We'll let your girls know that you're safe, and we can figure out transportation later."_ _

__Everyone agrees with this plan, so Green Lantern and Batman continue trying to contact the Star Sapphires while Amir, Jon, and Dami get some more downtime. Jon sits down on the sofa and pats the cushion next to him, smiling up at Amir._ _

While Damian's heart drops, Amir's soars and he sits down close to Jon, a happy smile spread across his lips. _Disgusting._ Damian thinks. _How come this alien can crash onto earth and steal Jon's heart within only hours?!_

__Jon leans back comfortably on the sofa, oblivious to Damian's distress. "So, uh. I guess we just have to wait." He smiles sadly at Amir. "This might be the last few moments we'll have together."_ _

_Darn._ Damian mentally rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. 

__Amir smiles back at Jon, and he presses close to Jon. "I suppose so.." he whispers, trying to ignore the sadness swelling up in his chest. "Maybe I can come visit Earth when I have the chance--I can make that happen." The prince decides, resting his cheek on Jon's shoulder contently._ _

__Jon smiles down at Amir, admiring his fluffy blonde hair and the way it fell around his neck. He takes Amir's hand in his, intertwining their fingers gently. "I would love that," Jon murmurs._ _

There was a twist in Damian's gut, and he did his best to keep his expression neutral, but he was _furious._ At none other than himself. He was actually feeling regret. Regret that he had always treated Jon bad, that he cast him aside. Because now he was feeling the sting of jealousy, and he hated it. But he sat passively on the couch, just staring at his phone, hoping to busy himself with texting. 

__Green Lantern approaches Amir and smiles at him gently. "Time to go, Amir. The Star Sapphires have arrived to take you home."_ _

__Amir looks up at Jon, and can automatically tell he's sad. There's a desire and longing to stay with Jon, but he knows he can't. "Come say goodbye?" he requests, a hint of his own sadness in his voice._ _

__"Of course," Jon says softly. He lets Amir tug him along by the hand until they're standing outside on the front lawn. There's a flash of violet light and suddenly the Star Sapphires are floating above them. Jon smiles sadly at Amir. "It sucks we only got to spend a day together. Not even."_ _

__"I'll cherish our time together nonetheless, Jon." He whispers reassuringly, and throws his arms over Jon in a heartfelt embrace, hugging their bodies close together. " I'll be back, I promise." Amir whispers to Jon, and pulls his chest away. Before Amir could have the chance to second guess himself, he leans in and plants a small kiss on Jon's soft cheek, sighing slowly._ _

__Jon's face heats up from the kiss, and he turns quickly before Amir can leave and cups his cheeks, kissing him on the lips gently._ _

__Amir's heart leaps into his throat, and his eyes widen before fluttering closed as they share the sweet kiss. He relaxes and kisses back gradually, and looks longingly into Jon's impossible eyes when they break apart. "I... That was... Thank you." Amir murmurs, ears and face painted red in a deep blush._ _

__Jon smiles, drawing his hands away from Amir's beautiful face. "See you soon."_ _

After forcing himself away from Jon, Amir steps back and is encased in a purple bubble by one of the Star Sapphires, and he smiles down at everyone as they ascend into the sky. He waves at Jon, and makes a heart shape with his hands, and doesn't even blink until everyone's too small to see anymore. _I'll come back._

__Jon watches the round bubble of purple light until it disappears into the sky, making a heart with his hands right back at the space prince. Even after he can't see the Star Sapphires anymore, he stays outside and gazes up at the clouds, heart aching._ _

__Damian looks over at his friend and stares at the sadness in Jon's eyes. That shouldn't be there. He shouldn't feel sad…_ _

__He takes a few steps towards Jon and whispers, "You okay?" hesitantly resting his hand on the younger's shoulder._ _

__"Not right now," Jon says quietly, watching as the sun sets and trying to think of anything but Amir. He blinks away the tears pooling in his eyes. "But I will be."_ _

__Damian opens his mouth to say something, to offer words of encouragement or sympathy. But he couldn't find anything to say, so he just stands shoulder to shoulder with his friend, looking up at the sky as the orange and purple sky slowly turned to black and blue, bright twinkling stars shining from up above._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What should Amir's last name be? Vote [here!](https://strawpoll.com/ssdhdrgs)
> 
>  
> 
> [Amir art gallery](https://goo.gl/photos/rMixoaLp4mixPz8f7)


	15. Don't Blush (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon starts a "Don't Blush" game. Spoiler: Dami looses.
> 
> Smut with fluff at the end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jon  
> SAS as Damian

"You don't have a choice, Damian." Bruce says as he enters the living room, seeing that his son wasn't ready. "The charity starts in an hour, and you are expected to be there." He gives a warning glare, before turning back out of the room, leaving Damian to sulk into the plush couch. He sighs, and pulls out his phone, opening his texts. He goes to his and Jon's conversation and starts typing furiously, not wanting to have to go get himself all dressed up. 

_Are you coming tonight?_

He hits send, then stands up, dragging himself across the manor to his room, swinging open his closet door to search for a nice outfit.

Jon didn't own very many fancy clothes. He didn't like how tight and stuffy they were, but this was a special occasion and he wanted to look as nice as possible. He _was_ attending the charity event as _Damian Wayne's_ second, after all.

Jon perks up as his phone buzzes from across the room. He leaps across the space, snatches up his phone, and texts back quickly, _Yep!_

Damian had already thrown his shirt into his hamper, and had the buttons halfway buttoned when his phone buzzed, and he looks over at the text, rolling his eyes. 

_You sure sound excited._

He types, then pulls on his pants, heading to the bathroom to fix his hair.

 _Being excited isn't a bad thing,_ Jon texts back, staring at the tie in his hands with bewilderment.

"Mom? Dad? Can I have some help?"

A few moments after his call, Clark comes in and helps him with the complicated knot. He smiles down at his son and pats his back. "Have fun, champ."

Jon beams at his father and hugs him tight. "Thanks, dad!"

Clark chuckles and ruffles Jon's hair before wandering off to whatever he was doing before.

Jon plops down on his bed and continues texting Damian. _Should I do anything special? I've never been to anything like this before._

After counting two buzzes, Damian turns back to his phone after combing through his hair, undecided if he should slick it back or spoil it up like normal. He makes a small scoff, a sort of smile appearing on his lips as he texts back, _No, Jon. Just bring yourself. You do have a suit though, correct?_ He teases, even though Damian was fully aware Jon owned one. He looks back at the mirror after he hits send, frowning at how strands of hair were just doing their own thing, completely disregarding what Damian wanted them to do. Maybe he should just leave it. It doesn't matter that much.

 _’Course._  
Jon looks up when he hears a knock on his room door, greeted with Lois' warm smile.  
"Ready to go, Jon?"  
He nods and follows his mother out into the driveway, noticing how it was already almost sunset. He was fortunate his parents were letting him attend such a late event.

Damian exits the bathroom, having mostly giving up with his hair, but fixed it to the point of decency. He feels around his neck and grunts, then walks back to his closet to grab a bow tie. He finishes within seconds then flicks the lights off in his room and trudges down the stairs to the library and plops down in a soft chair. _Please tell me you'll get here early, so I don't have to greet these strangers all by myself._

 _We just left,_ Jon replies.  
Lois smacks his hand, and he responds with an indignant yelp.  
"No phones, Jon. It's a short trip."  
_gtg._

"Great. I can already hear the women squealing and begging to pinch my cheeks," Damian says aloud, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

Not even a minute later, Alfred appears in the doorway and clears his throat. "Master Damian, your father wishes you to greet the guests." Damian growls slightly, but stands and exits the room quickly. This was going to be a long night.

Jon stares out the window the entire ride there, nerves getting the best of him. He shakes them off by thinking about Damian, and how he would handle everything just like he always does.

Lois pulls over beside Damian's house and waves Jon off after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, which he wipes away once she drives off embarrassedly.

He rings the doorbell to the massive house, and Alfred comes running to answer it. "Hello, Master Jon. Master Damian is just starting to greet the guests if you'd care to join him."

Jon nods gratefully and trails behind the butler as he leads the way through the maze of a house that was called "the Wayne manor".

Out of the corner of his eye, Damian spots a dark haired boy enter through the archway of the foyer, and he instantly straightens up, trying not to get too distracted from the tall skinny blonde woman that was currently drooling over 'Damian's boyish good-looks that he must get from his father.' He sees Jon turn around, and spot Damian, and the Wayne starts to feel a lot calmer and relieved as Jon makes his way over. He excuses himself from the lady and turns to Jon.

"This is _lovely,_ " he comments with a growl.

Jon smiles sympathetically at his friend. "Yeah. Not much we can do, huh?"

Damian nods for a response and starts to walk off towards the dining room, beckoning Jon to follow. He leads them in, and sits them at a small table at the far corner of the humongous room. "Got any ideas?" He asks, then starts typing on his phone; _two player games to do when bored._

Jon props his left cheek on his palm, slightly squishing it and making his face look smushed from the side. "Hm," he hums thoughtfully. "We could do a challenge?"

"Why," Damian looks up from his phone with a smirk. He really hadn't been able to find anything good anyways. "Craving a _loss_ , Kent?"

Jon returns Damian's smirk with his own, blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "We'll see. I challenge you-" Jon points at Damian dramatically, "to a "don't blush" challenge!”

Damian's nose crinkles, and he shoves the finger away from him. "What--" _don't blush..?_ "Hmph. _Fine_ , even though this seems stupid." He says, shutting off his phone and laying it down on the table. "I'm guessing, who ever blushes first looses. So _when I win,_ you have to.. wear a Supergirl costume for Halloween." Damian smirks deviously.

"Pfft, okay. And _you_ gotta wear a dress for one day!" Jon says, satisfied with the deal. He could live with wearing a Supergirl costume; although he suspected he wouldn't need to.

"Deal. Whatever." _I bet I look good in a dress anyways._ "Guests go first." Damian fake yawns, looking bored and ready for Jon's futile attempt to make him flush and loose.

Jon smiles at Damian, cheek still propped comfortably on his palm. "Do you have heat vision, too? Because you can melt my heart with just a look."

Damian blinks slowly, and rests his elbow on the table. "I may not be a photographer, but I can picture you and me together." He says with a slight smile, pointing between them both.

Jon's smile widens, but he still doesn't blush. _Hm... Maybe I need to kick it up a notch._ He thinks for a moment before coming up with, "I think your clothes are Kryptonite, because we've got to get rid of them immediately."

Damian raises an eyebrow, slightly impressed with the comeback. _So that's how he's going to play.._

"Excuse me, waiter?" He stares dead into Jon's blue eyes, and lowers his voice a few octaves. "Could you take _my_ order, because _your_ body's like a carry out." He smirks, and only finds the smirk deepening as he stares, anticipating Jon's retort.

"You remind me of my pinkie toe," Jon begins, looking up at Damian with the most seductive gaze he could muster.

 _Excuse me, what?_ Damian purses his lips, a confused look replacing his smug expression. "Why?" Is all he can say.

"Because I'm gonna bang you on every piece of furniture in this house," Jon ends with a wicked smirk. _Surely that's got to get him._

Damian's green eyes go wide, but he keeps his calm. _There's a_ lot _of damn furniture in this house._

"Are you the horse or the saddle? Either way is fine, because I'm still gonna ride you." He manages, biting his bottom lip for effect.

Jon chuckles lightly, impressed Damian had survived that line. "Y'know what I really like in a guy? My dick~"

After sucking in a breath of air, Damian tries _not_ to imagine Jon..with.. _Stop right there. Fire back._ He thinks for a second, then smirks and clears his throat. He roughens his voice as he recalls the lyrics to a not-so-appropriate song Jon once made him listen to.

" _You look good, baby must taste heavenly,_  
I'm pretty sure that you got your own recipe  
So pick it up, pick it up yeah I like you,  
I just can't get enough I got to drive through-" He hooks his leg with Jon's and continues. " _Cause it's_  
me, you  
you, me,  
me, you:  
all night.  
Have it your way, foreplay, before I feed your appetite~"

Jon leans forward and takes Damian's knees in his hands, pulling them slowly but steadily apart. He decides not to talk for this turn, and focuses on simply shocking Damian into blushing.

Damian's skin tingles at the contact, and something in his stomach lurches, and he really isn't sure what to do. He's just glad there was a long table cloth to cover below the table, or else Damian's sure he would have blushed. Well, at least he hoped he wasn't blushing already.

"E-eager?" He stammers. _Shit! Be strong, you pussy!_ "Which is easier? You getting in those tight pants, or getting you _out_ of them?" Damian says, and with some sort of miracle, he regains his swagger, saying it all with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Jon grins, catching the way Damian stammered at first. "Another pick up line, Dami? Really?" Jon leans closer to Damian, faces hovering just in front of each other. He fakes a look of disappointment. "I thought we had moved on from those." He rubs little circles into the insides of Damian's thighs sensually, eyes dark.

Something about the _way_ Jon's voice had lowered, softened, was so lethal that Damian became _entranced_ with it. Suddenly, seeing Jon in a mini skirt and crop top seemed like a distant dream. Damian's breathing shifts and he bites down on his lip quickly. _Shit shit shit._ "Mm. I guess it's because you're bringing _sexy_ back, and I'm a mother _fucker_ who just doesn't know how to act." He murmurs, knowing Jon would get the song reference with his odd taste in music.

"I think it's special, what's behind your back, so turn around, and I'll pick up the slack," Jon continues, proud Damian had taken the time to learn one of his favorite musician's songs. He lifts the table that's in between them with one hand and throws it across the room, letting it shatter to pieces. _They can afford a new one,_ Jon thinks smugly. He uses the newfound space they have to lean further forward and kiss Damian on the cheek, lips barely touching his dark skin.

Damian is in _utter shock_ after what just happened. _He just fucking threw the table. He just_ fucking _threw the table._ He's stuck in a trance, until he hears a few startled "What was that!?"'s from a few rooms over. Damian's green eyes widen, and he looks at Jon, looking smugly proud of himself.

"We're leaving." Damian says stiffly, jumping up out of his chair and grabbing Jon by the hand as he starts to run out of the room, towards the one place no one would follow:  
The bedrooms.

Jon can't help but laugh. _I threw the table._ And now because of it, Damian Wayne was leading him to the bedrooms. _What a turn of events_. Once they get inside, Jon grins at Damian and almost harshly slams him onto the bed with his superspeed.

"What--" Damian gets only through one word before he's on the bed beneath Jon, panting madly. Damian was thoroughly confused, and didn't know if they had stopped playing the game or not. "Is it my turn?" He asks intelligently, pressing his hand up on Jon's chest to keep a slight distance.

"Sure," Jon says, keeping a neutral expression. He keeps his hands beside Damian's head, not touching him but still effectively keeping him in place.

 _Oh, he_ is _still playing._ Damian looks up at Jon, still slightly unsure. He grunts, and brings his hands up to his bow tie, undoing it furiously then goes for the buttons on his suit, exposing his tanned chest. Once the material was apart, he starts to indie Jon's buttons, even though he was starting to realize he _was_ blushing.

Jon would've teased Damian over his loss, but he noticed his cheeks were heating up as well. He's staring directly down at Damian's exposed chest while he _unbuttons his shirt._ Once he's done, Jon chucks the article of clothing off and to the floor and pins Damian's arms above his head with a strong grip.

Damian's eyes wander up above him, where a firm hand held his arms in place, (not like he would move even if he could.) He squirms against the hold in defiance nonetheless and lightly nudges on Jon's hip with his knee. Damian bites his lip, still trying desperately to keep the crimson from seeping onto his cheeks.

Jon leans forward slowly, positioning himself in between Damian's legs so he's straddling his torso. The movement from Damian's struggling sends sparks flying through his body, and he feels a warmth steadily pooling in his abdomen. He captures Damian's lips with his own, quite gently considering the situation they're in.

It took a few moments for Damian to react, but when he did he almost slapped himself for how _stupid_ he was. This had stopped being a game a _long_ time ago, and Damian was the last to figure it out. He kisses back fiercely, whining for his arms to be released.

Jon keeps his hand firmly clasped around Damian's wrists and trails his kiss down to his "friend's" jaw, gently sucking and nibbling on the skin there.

Damian melts into the warm, soft pink lips pressing against his skin. His back arches into the kisses and he craves for more of the contact he never even knew he needed or wanted until now. "Mmmh.." He sighs, eyes fluttering closed as he welcomes the warmth bursting in his stomach, making him fully aware of just how turned on he was.

The kiss goes lower still, down to Damian's neck and leaving a few splotchy marks. He presses a kiss to his collarbone next, enjoying the taste of Damian's skin on his tongue.

" _J-Jon--_ " A low throaty call to the body on top of Damian comes out, and he shivers each time Jon sucks on his tender skin. His legs tremble, not knowing what to do with them, and his bare chest heaves up and down, breathing in deep as he tries to contain himself.

Jon's free hand pulls at Damian's pants zipper, tugging the material down and casting it to the side. He reaches for his own and discards the article of clothing, then continues his kisses, this time on Damian's chest and stomach.

 _Oh my god we're going to have sex._ Damian revels in the realization, because he honestly didn't know how much he _wanted_ it until now, and he didn't know how to even act about it. With his body half naked, he lets Jon have full control, seeing as how already content he was with trapping Damian under him and kissing the hell out of him.

Jon's hand hovers over Damian's boxers, almost hesitate to take them off. This is new for both of them, and he's not sure if Damian wanted this.

"Are you okay with this?" Jon asks, rubbing gentle circles into his hips.

" _Yes._ " Damian almost whines it out, becoming slightly impatient but subconsciously reminds himself that this was both their first times, and they shouldn't exactly assume they would be experts. "I want you." Damian says it softer that time, sending a reassuringly lustful gaze up at Jon.

Jon smiles down at Damian, pressing a loving kiss to his mouth and freeing his hands so he can pull off their boxers. He looks at Damian's hard-on for the first time and chuckles.

"What?" Damian looks at Jon, eyes narrowing.

"Sorry, I just- it's just so cute and small~" Jon grins at Damian and caresses both of his thighs.

Damian's flush deepens impossibly and he puffs out his cheeks in embarrassment. He mumbles something between a 'Shut up' and a 'You're not funny.'

Jon just chuckles again and looks around the room. "Got anything we can use as lube?"

"Uh, yeah in that drawer beside the dresser." He says quietly, heart leaping into his throat. The butterflies in his stomach were threatening to fly out, and Damian could only contain himself for so long.

Jon gets up and retrieves the bottle of slick material, pouring a bit out onto his fingers. He hitches Damian's legs over his shoulders and slowly pushes a finger inside.

Damian tenses, but does his best to relax, focusing on breathing out slowly. His fingers slightly curl around the sheets, not helping the slight grunt that escapes his lips.

Jon pushes his finger in and out shallowly a few times before adding a second, curling his digits slightly with each push to get as much lube inside Damian as possible, but also to extract a reaction from him.

"Oh--hhmmm," Damian presses his lips together to keep from letting out a low gasp, and he hums instead. Damian arches his back higher as Jon hit spots that made Damian want to _sing._ He brings his hand up to his hair and combs through it, steeling himself by tugging on the strands.

Jon pulls his fingers out of Damian once he's satisfied with the preparation, and wipes the substance off on the bed sheets. He aligns the tip of his length with Damian's hole and pushes in slowly, stopping at about an inch to let Damian adjust. "Are you good?" he asks, shifting a little so the angle is less awkward. His hands are now holding Damian's legs in place above his shoulders, and he stills for the moment, concerned only with making Damian feel good.

Damian nods reassuringly, and takes a breath before reaching out his arm to stroke Jon's shoulder. "Just go slow at first..?"

"Of course," Jon says, unable to do much other than smile at Damian in their position. He begins to move slowly so it won't hurt, and soon his length is completely buried into Damian. The overwhelming warmth makes his vision swim and his abdomen ache, but he forces himself not to come right then and there. He begins thrusting steadily, huffing deeply through his nose.

The mix of sensations that came to Damian made him dizzy, and he allows for his head fall back as he lets out a low moan, painfully aware of how awkward it probably sounded. Shutting his mouth almost as soon as he opened it, Damian breaths out a few shaky breaths before he chokes down more of the aroused noises--because it would be _terrible_ if someone heard and decided to check out what the noise was. He wasn't about to let the whole manor know that he was getting banged by Jon.

Damian knew he was tight, so he forces himself to keep relaxing, letting the pleasure take over to push out the somewhat weird feeling of being stretched.

"You're doing good, Dami," Jon says encouragingly, noticing how he kept clenching and unclenching. He continues to thrust, picking up the pace a little. He admires the way Damian's usually sharp eyes clouded over with arousal, and the unbuttoned shirt still loose around his arms. His hair was beginning to come undone from the sweat and movement, and some of it dropped in front of Damian's eyes in the hottest way possible. The sight of Damian beneath him sends a whole new wave of arousal through Jon, and he groans lowly.

 _Oh God, he's so fucking hot,_ Is all Damian can think when he hears Jon's deep noise and can't help but want to smirk as he bit down into his lip, quick but deep breaths moving his chest up and down at a continuous rate. When Jon speeds up, Damian finally starts to arch at a rhythm that sends quick bursts of extreme warmth to his midsection that make him gasp slightly. He opens his foggy green eyes, panting while he gazed lazily at Jon.

The _look_ Damian is giving Jon spurs him on even more, so he deepens the thrusts, pounding into the warm body below him and grunting every so often. He tries coming in from different angles with each thrust, attempting to find Damian's prostate.

Whatever Jon does, it sends Damian into a fit of short and heavy moans, and he repeatedly grabs onto the sheets to sturdy himself as he feels his climax nearing. " _Sh-Shit_ , oh _GOD_ \--!" He cries out, falling off rhythm from how much the arousal consumed him, making him fight not to go limp and come right then and there.

Jon continues hitting Damian's bundle of nerves that made him cry out with pleasure, and with each cry he feels himself getting closer to releasing. "I-I'm gonna- _oh god_ ," Jon tries warning before he orgasms, buried deep inside Damian. He thrusts a few more times, riding out the waves of pleasure until they disperse, panting heavily.

Damian's vision goes blank as he has the most _intense_ orgasm he's ever had, vaguely listening and aware that Jon was in a similar situation. Damian's eyes start to see things clearly again, and he sees a sort of mess of white-ish clear liquid all on his abdomen and starting to run down the sides. Jon was breathing in quick and needy, leaving Damian to just _stare_ at the hot mess of a Kryptonian: Dark raven hair looking like he just got out of bed, with strands sticking to his forehead by the sweat he had made. His clear blue eyes were still glazed over with pleasure, and his chest--oh his chest... was glistening and heaving with drops of sweat (or come; Damian couldn't tell at the moment) rolling down in the front. _Damn._

Jon releases Damian's legs from their position on top of his shoulders and lets them fall to the side, straddling his body. He leans down, collapsing on Damian and kissing his face multiple times, senses completely clouded by their intense sex session. He sighs, wincing slightly when he feels the cold semen between them.

Damian's now reddish-from-kissing lips search to meet Jon's hungrily, and he wraps his arm around the younger's neck to tangle his hand into the soft strands. Damian calms down a bit, and his breathing returns almost to normal after a few minutes of them lying there, gingerly kissing one another everywhere they could reach while Jon laid on top of Damian.

Jon smiles at Damian when they pull away, sighing as he strokes his hair. "That was... new."

"Jon, I used to think you were _innocent_.." Damian gives a fake disappointed frown, rubbing the back of Jon's neck with his fingers.

Jon chuckles and kisses Damian on the nose. "You always have underestimated me."

With a roll of his eyes, Damian slowly sits up off of the mattress and shifts his legs so that they are both practically in each other's lap, and Damian whispers with a knowing look, " So.. a 'don't blush' game, huh, Kent?" And smirks mischievously, tilting his head to ghost his lips over Jon's temple then earlobe. _That’s_ one _way of getting into my pants, I suppose._

"I won," Jon says with a satisfied grin.

"I think we both _technically lost_ ," Damian says with a grunt, and kisses Jon's cheeks softly before shrugging contently. "But I guess we both _won_ , too."

"Uh, no," Jon insists. "I distinctly remember you blushing first."

With a scoff, Damian pushes himself slightly away from Jon. "I can't stand you." He murmurs teasingly, because Damian 'definitely' does _not_ recall him being the first to blush.

Jon giggles and runs a hand through Damian's messy hair. "You gotta wear a dress, Dami. That was the deal~"

Damian sticks his tongue out at Jon, but eases into his touch. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He says with dry humor, and crosses his arms stiffly.

"Yes, I would," Jon says, smooching Damian for the umpteenth that night. "You'd look very pretty."

A soft pink falls onto Damian's cheeks and he mumbles out a slight 'whatever..' to Jon before heaving a long sigh. "You know we have to go back to the gala, right?" He says looking around at the mess they made. Clothes all of the floor, sheets practically torn up, pillows scattered all about… other messes.. "I think people may start to suspect as it is. I mean, we did just escape the dining room hand and hand, heading to the bedrooms.."

Jon chuckles, taking that as a sign to get up and retrieve a rag from the bathroom. He wipes himself down before folding it and wiping Damian down as well. He almost considers starting a tickle fight, but decides he wants to live tonight, and reaches for his discarded underwear and pants.

Once Jon cleaned Damian off, he bends over to snatch up his clothes, tugging on his pants and rebuttoning his shirt, which had gotten a tad wrinkled under the circumstances. He ties his bowtie and goes to the bathroom to check himself in the mirror and he realizes that _damn_ he looks like he just got beat up. There were hickey marks on his jawline, above and below his chin, and there were some peeking out from his suit collar. He groans, rubbing his temples. "You sure had _fun_ marking me up."

"Use makeup?" Jon offers sheepishly. He comes up behind Damian after he puts on his shirt and hugs his waist tightly. "Sorry. I can do it for you if you want!"

Damian shrugs in agreement, because he honestly didn't feel like taking the time to do it himself anyways. He opens the cabinet under the sink, grabbing out a hard plastic box, and pops off the lid to reveal a wide assortment of numerous brands and colors of foundation, blush, blenders, and organic facial lotions. "Have at it." He says, and gestures to the box.

"Hm," Jon hums, looking calculatingly at his arsenal of tools. He picks out a case of concealer and mixes a color as close to Damian's skin tone as he can get. He dabs the brush over one of the hickeys on his jawline and it disappears after a few taps. Jon grins victoriously and begins to cover up the rest, taking time to make sure they were fully covered.

"There you go, little prince," Jon says when he's done, cupping Damian's cheeks and kissing his forehead. "Just as handsome as ever."

"Thank you," Damian responds with quietly, looking at himself in the mirror and unable to detect any sort of lip shaped bruising. _Impressive._ "Where did you acquire these skills?" He asks with a curious smile, closing the plastic box back up and putting it back in its place.

Jon shrugs. "Boredom and the Internet." He brushes a strand of Damian's jet black hair out of his eyes. "We still need to fix your hair, though."

"Mmm." He hums in agreement, and takes Jon's hand putting it back to his hair that was just deciding to do its own thing, like he had just woken up. "Could you?" He asks with a small smile, rubbing his thumb into the top of Jon's pale hand.

Jon smiles and nods, looking over the many cabinets. "Where...?"

Damian reaches up to one of the lower cabinets and grabs out his hair gel, placing it in Jon's hands.

"Thanks," Jon says, popping open the lid. He dabs his fingers in it and begins to comb through Damian's hair, taking a few strands at once and slicking them back until it looks good as new.

A grateful smile displays proudly on Damian's face and he takes a step in towards Jon, kissing his cheek slowly. "Let me guess.. need someone to help you with your tie?" He teases lightheartedly and places the hair gel back into the cabinet it came from, closing it quietly.

Jon washes his hands off quickly, turning towards Damian with a smile. "If you would be so kind~" He holds up his blue tie from where he left it on the floor and lifts it towards Damian.

Damian takes the silky fabric in his hands and loops it around Jon's neck, going over then under and continuing in with the special knot as if it was second nature to Damian. He finally slides the knot up to Jon's neck and straightens it, quickly finished with his job. "There."

Jon marvels over Damian's fluency with the tie, and kisses him on the lips. "Thank you very much," he says with a toothy smile.

"Of course, beloved." Damian says swiftly, comfortable with the warmth spreading throughout his body from the kiss. "Now.. should I leave first, or you leave first? We can't both go back at the same time.." He ponders on the thought, and maybe _he_ should go first, so Jon wasn't automatically bamboozled with potential questions without Damian there to bat glare everyone away. "Do you want me to?"

"Yes please," Jon says almost shyly, blue eyes glowing gratefully. "If you're okay with that!"

Damian nods and gives him one last small peck on the cheek before turning to the door and exiting quietly, making his way to the main ballroom where there were dozens and dozens of people still there. Bruce was with a few 'lady friends' over by a table with platters and platters of food. Once Bruce and Damian made eye contact, Damian _knew_ he was in trouble. He made his way over to his father, and Bruce politely excused himself.

"Where the _hell_ did you go? And why do I have a broken table?"

Bruce glares down at his son, who replies with a calm, "Jonathan accidentally kicked it over, and he dragged me upstairs so we could get away from this horrendous event." But Bruce didn't look like he was completely sold on the idea.

"Where is Jon now?" Bruce crosses his arms, looking around.

Jon follows Damian through the long hallways and waits a minute or so before walking in as if on cue. He sees Damian's dad and waves cheerily.  
"Hello, Mr. Bruce! Sorry we left without telling you."

Bruce just acknowledges Jon with a glance, then returns to glowering at Damian, who promptly lifts his chin then turns away, beckoning Jon to follow him to the desert table to lounge around.

"There's no fooling him. He'll find out.." Damian grumbles, taking one of Alfred's home made cookies from a silver tray and starts to nibble on it.

"You aren't worried about that?" Jon asks, lifting an eyebrow before stuffing his face with desserts. Might as well, while he was here. Plus, all that sex worked up an appetite.

"Well, no. What I mean is, he'll find out about us being _together_. I doubt he'll figure out the rest until later." Damian says for a fact, and continues with his cookie. "Thankfully, we were up there for almost 2 hours. This should start to be over and done with in around 40 minutes." But still, Damian was not ecstatic.

Jon grunts, looking around. "Do you guys have a ballroom that's being used right now?"

Damian nods slowly, and raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

Jon scans the building for people who looked like they were dancing with his x-ray vision, then takes Damian's hand and drags him to the large room swiftly. He stops once they're inside and smiles down at Damian. "If he's gonna find out anyways, might as well, right?"

It took Damian a minute, (tonight was just _not_ his night for figuring things out quickly) but he looks up at Jon and the butterflies start in his chest, stomach, feet again. "You're.. asking me to dance with you?" He confirms.

Jon chuckles. "Yes, you dummy. Come dance with me!" He holds out his hand for Damian, smiling.

Damian's tan hand reaches out without hesitation and laces with Jon's, and they are immediately headed for the floor, swaying to the beat of soft classical music playing over the speakers in the ceiling. They make it to the somewhat center of the room, and some eyes fall onto them, but Damian hardly notices over the way Jon's beautiful eyes were complimented by the sapphire colored tie he was wearing--that Damian put on him. He was instantly captivated again by Jon's blinding smile, and he--once again--feels like he's playing the 'don't blush' game all over again.

Jon lets his hand rest on Damian's waist while the other is clasped with Damian's hand as they spin around the ballroom slowly. He feels lost in the younger's beautiful emerald green eyes and fair, tan skin, practically glowing in the low light.

As they swiftly glide around to their own made up dance, the few pairs of eyes laid onto the duo became dozens, and soon everyone's attention was on Damian Wayne and Jon Kent: dancing with each other to a slow song meant for lovers, holding one another close as if they were afraid to let go..

Jon is subconsciously aware of the many pairs of eyes on them, and his gaze begins to shift from Damian's face to the crowd nervously.

When Damian loses Jon's gaze, he frowns slightly when he knows why Jon was looking around, and Damian wasn't having it.

"Hey. Jon--keep your eyes on me. It's only _us_." Damian whispers to his partner, squeezing a tiny bit on his hand to assure that they were the only two people who mattered right now. No one else.

Jon lets his eyes fall back onto his best friend turned lover, nodding stiffly. He lets the music and the flow of their dancing loosen any tension that was in him before, sighing contently.

Damian smiles warmly up at Jon, proud he was able to calm the younger down so they could keep dancing. "That's it, good.. Just keep looking at me," Damian gives him words of encouragement as he spins Jon around in a sort of twirl, drawing some 'ooo's from the crowd of people.

Jon lets himself be spun, moving along with the graceful motion fluidly. He giggles at the crowd's reaction and brings Damian closer so they're chest to chest, staring straight into each other's eyes.

There's a tempo drop in the song as they come back together, and it's mostly quiet except for the few soft strums of violins. Damian almost chokes on his words, feeling helplessly lost in Jon's entrancing stare.

"I love you, Jonathan." Damian says aloud, heart feeling like it would explode if he didn't say _something_.

"I love you too," Jon replies breathlessly. He feels so overwhelmed with love for Damian that he leans down slowly and gives him a closed mouth kiss on the lips, gentle but passionate all at once.

Damian welcomes the kiss with open arms, this one feeling just as amazing if not _more_ than all of the others, as if it were their first. There's a wave of gasps, 'aw's, claps and shocked gazes, and Damian kisses back with all of the compassion he has to offer, straightening as much as he can to better reach Jon's soft lips.

Jon closes his eyes and unclasps his hand from Damian's so he can cup his cheeks, stroking the skin gently. When they break apart Jon beams down at Damian, hand still holding his face. "This was the best night of my life," he whispers so no one else can hear.

Damian tilts his cheek against Jon's hand, enjoying the comforting touch as they shared this private and intimate moment even though _everyone_ was watching. "I hope it only gets better from here." Damian adds, smiling a truly happy smile.


	16. Moded (Bluepulse)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime is put on mode and Bart is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jaime  
> SAS as Bart
> 
> Trigger warnings: Gore/torture

Jaime and Bart were walking around the many rooms in Mount Justice at the request of Jaime, who wanted to talk about something that was on his- and probably everyone's- mind. They walked a few centimeters apart, arms brushing occasionally. Jaime can already feel the speedster's presence easing away his worries.

"Thanks for agreeing to talk with me, hermano," Jaime says warmly.

A bright smile spread across Bart's face, his freckled cheeks lifting. "Of course Blue! You know I'm always here to talk, hang, chill, ya know." He nudges his friend, chuckling. Bart was always happy to chat with Jaime. Not like they never talked, because in fact, Jaime was the person Bart talked to most. He was fun, easy, charming, warm... Bart just wanted to be there for him this time around.

Jaime smiles at Bart before shoving his hands in his pockets, one of his subtle nervous habits. "I just wanted to ask you about my behavior recently? I know that probably sounds weird but I haven't been feeling... oh god."

Jaime stops walking abruptly and doubles over, eyes fixed onto the floor. His entire face grows noticeably paler.

"Blue-?" Bart's eyes go wide and he throws his hands out to grasp at Jaime's shoulders, steadying the older teen.

"Whoa whoa, what's going on?" Bart says worriedly, wrapping his arm around his back to keep Jaime from falling.

Jaime holds up a hand to let Bart know he's fine (and also push him away from the line of fire), then promptly throws up all over the floor.

After backing up a few steps and wincing, Bart speeds to the kitchen, grabbing a bowl and rushing back within the blink of an eye. He places a comforting hand on Jaime's back, rubbing circles while he frowns at his friend.

"Sorry..." he apologizes, even tho he'd done nothing wrong (he just didn't even know what to say or do, and he felt queasy at the sight of anyone throwing up so he was kind of forcing himself to stay calm).

Jaime spits out the rest of his stomach's remains into the bowl and swallows uncomfortably. "Don't be," he manages after a while of recovery. "That... happens sometimes if I try saying something scarab doesn't want me to. I don't know why they didn't want me to tell you I've just been feeling weird lately, though."

Bart stares down at the ground, trying to comprehend. "It.. does that to you..?" He whispers, biting his lip. "Why wouldn't it want you.." he trails off and shakes his head. He didn't even know what he was trying to say.

"I'm okay," Jaime assures Bart gently. "How about we- what the hell?" The blue beetle armor activates suddenly, black surrounding his face as a mask and blue plated armor wrapping around his limbs. "Shut it off, scarab! I didn't tell you to do that! So sorry, Bart. I don't know what's gotten into it- hey!"

The fully armored Blue Beetle freezes abruptly, posture straightening and eyes directed straight ahead.

While trying not to freak out and cause even more panic, Bart backs up quickly even though he wants to get they heck out of there--things were getting complicated and Bart was getting anxious. "Jaime, what's uh, what's going on?" He keeps his voice steady, but his eyes are blown wide.

Blue remains still for a little more, then blinks his now glowing golden eyes slowly. He still doesn't speak.

Bart slowly steps forward, looking his friend up and down. He tries for a laugh but it comes out really weak. "You uh, gonna stay in that armor there buddy?"

Jaime feels the armor on his arm warp rapidly into a solid block, and can only watch as it comes swinging down onto Bart's head.

~0~

 _Why they hell does my head hurt so much.._ Bart thought to himself as his heavy eyes opened slowly. Gosh, he didn't even remember falling asleep.. wait, where is he.  
Where is he.  
He's not in the base anymore, he doesn't think.  
His heart rate picks up when he fully opens his eyes and doesn't see anyone, or anything familiar.  
Where was he?!  
And then he remembers earlier. Everything comes back to him in waves simultaneously with the anxiety building up in his throat. _Why is this happening..?_

"Finally," comes a voice from behind the speedster. "We were beginning to think you'd never wake up."

As Blue Beetle steps into the light, it's very clear Jaime is not the one in control. His eyes are piercing and sharp, and his mouth is set in an unamused frown, whereas Jaime radiated warmth even with the unsettling appearance of his bugsuit.

A shiver runs down Bart's spine and he chooses not to respond. Not like he could talk anyways, he was pretty sure his teeth were chattering too much. It was.. _so cold_.. What was even going on, why can't this just be a big nightmare that Jaime comes and wakes him up from, hugs him close and tight until he stops shaking and falls back to sleep. _Why can't I wake up.._  
He grabs his neck and looks around, trying to look for an escape route.

"Don't bother," Blue says, stepping forward until he's facing Bart. "This room deactivates your abilities. You should be able to leave shortly assuming you give us what we need within a reasonable time frame..." He tilts his head at Bart pointedly.

Bart clenches his jaw in an attempt to quit his chattering but his jaw ends up quivering instead. "W-what information?" He forces out of his mouth, sending himself back into a fit of shivers.

"About the future. We need to know how to continue our plans," Blue informs him stoically. "It is up to you how long you suffer. From the looks of it you can't even handle a little cold," he snorts with a sneer.

There's so much conflict running through Bart's mind. This isn't Jaime, and yet it _is_. How did the Reach even get control of him? How long... how long had he been like this?? Did their realtio--friendship, mean anything?

Bart attempts to straighten up, and pushes down his irrelevant thoughts. How was he going to get out of here without giving any information away? "Why? I thought you were already confident in your _genius_ plans?" He puts on a brace face, a small, weak, powerless teen hiding behind it.

"It seemed to work in your future," Blue says with narrowed eyes. "I'll keep the pain to a minimum, hm? I don't think your frail body would be handle much else, but I suppose we'll see." He runs a scan of Bart's body to see where it would be most effective to strike and morphs his arm into a club-like shape, swiftly swinging it into his ribs.

"I'm not-- aAHN!" Bart yelps loudly and attempts to move away from the force. His voice broke and he grits his teeth, shaking still. The pain flared up his lungs, making it hurt to breath. If he had his superspeed, he would heal quickly. But he's pretty sire something broke..

Blue hits the same spot with a little more force before moving to the other side, raising the club and striking the defenseless boy mercilessly.

Bart whimpers after he cries out with each strike, feeling his bones break. He was so fragile, powerless against the attacks. He couldn't do anything but take the blow and choke on his own cries. Bart makes a pitiful sound, tears stinging his eyes. He wants to yell for him to stop, but knows it wouldn't help whatsoever.

Jaime yells at the scarab to stop in his mind, forced to watch his own limbs beat his best friend. _Please! Please, scarab! He's my friend- I care about him!_

He's met with silence.

He can't even close his eyes.

Blue's arm morphs again into something more short and sharp, and it digs into Bart's leg instantly.

It takes literally everything in Bart to not wail out but he tries to keep his weak cries to a minimum. The sharp pain in his leg shoots through, and it makes him nauseous. He feels the object twist in his leg and a scream rips from his throat, wet and breaking. "ST-O-OH-OP-" He cries over and over, loosing all his strength within only the minute of torture.

Blue wrenches the knife from Bart's leg after a few of his screams ring out across the room, only to plunge it back in a little lower.

He's sobbing now, jerking away in instinct even though it just drives the dagger in sharper.

_JUST TELL THEM! END THIS!_  
_NO, YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP!_

"J-Jaime p-p-please- s-s-STOP!" Tears sting as they fall down Bart's cheeks, soaking them.

_I'm trying, Bart! I'm trying- oh Dios mío, ¡detener!_

His arms rips out of Bart's leg and comes back down in the shape of a taser, jabbing into his oversensitive ribs.

After a few spasms with loud screams that rack his small body, he breathes heavy but shallow breaths, his voice raspy as he let out involuntary high pitched whines. "Please.. p-" He coughs roughly, blood dribbling off of his lip. "You.. you end up winning.. you enslave.. humanity.." Bart lowers his almost lifeless green eyes, ashamed for being _so damn weak._

"One race for the power of another. Hardly a sacrifice worth caring about, honestly," Blue says aloofly. "Now stay still. This next bit might hurt a little more."

A few tendrils emerge from his back and wrap around Bart's neck and right arm, effectively keeping him in place, pinned to the cold floor. One of his hands takes the speedster's left arm, and the other snaps it at an awkward angle, a sickly cracking sound filling the air.

Bart let's out yet another gut churning screech in pain, long and drawn out. His throat was starting to burn from all of the crying and screaming he was doing.  
_Why_  
_Why_  
_Why_  
_makeitstopohgogogodpleasejustmakeitstoppleasepleaseevenifyoukillmepleasejustmakeitSTOP_

Blue retracts from the quivering speedster, standing to the side passively. "Are you ready to talk yet?"

The auburn haired teen spits blood, and it mixes on the ground with his tears. He nods weakly and slowly, opening his mouth. "In the future, you kill off the Justice League. It successes.. y-you enslave.. everyone.. we all.. work for you." He gulps, metallic taste burning at his throat. "Blue stays like this.. nothing changes.." His head rests on the ground, each breath of air hurting him further.

"How were you planning on stopping us?" Blue asks with narrowed eyes.

Bart snarls. "Why does it matter.. you win anyways.. you've already won anyways.." He whines, closing his eyes. Why couldn't.. he just wake up.. he had to wake up. Where did Jaime go..? Why won't he come back?

"I suppose it doesn't," Blue agrees, stomping down on Bart's back harshly. "You _are_ just a nuisance. We should kill you here so you don't have any chance to carry out your plans."

The little breath Bart has was knocked out of him, a groan escaping his lips. Maybe if he just died now, he wouldn't have to face anyone ever again. He wouldn't have to face the fact that his best friend.. is gone. He wouldn't have to face the apocalypse that was looming over them. So Bart stays silent, not protesting to anything. He opens his eyes, peering up at the figure above him. He gives a small, sad, broken smile that falters after a second. "I suppose you should." He coughs _again,_ spasming wildly _again._

Blue hums thoughtfully, lips turning slowly upwards in a sick smile. "Not yet. We can still use you for something else..."

He turns and walks to the door on the far side of the otherwise vacant room, looking back one last time at the boy collapsed on the floor. "Enjoy your stay."

Bart takes a shaky, slow breath. His head was pounding. Maybe just as much as his heart. He could hear the blood in his ears. He could see the blood on the floor.  
Bart's pretty sure that's when his heart broke.. laying on the cold hard ground. _Alone_. Bleeding out slowly from the gash on his leg. This was true pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're sorry
> 
> Not really


	17. Drowned (Birdflash)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally goes up against Brainiac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Wally  
> BENJJI_G as Dick and Brainiac

Dick enjoyed every moment he got with Wally, especially when they got to spend time as boyfriends. When they were out on the field, they had to hide their relationship, and at base, they could only act outwardly as a couple with close friends. It was only when they were alone could they could express their love fully.

Right now, they were sprawled out on the couch of their house, cuddling and kissing like there'd be no tomorrow. Dick had his arms around Wally's waist, planting countless small kisses on his freckled face.

Wally tried his best to evade the kiss attacks by nuzzling his face into his boyfriend's neck. The speedster loved moments like these, ones where they could do whatever they wanted, where no one would judge them.

"Hey Dick, do you remember the day we bought this place?" His voice was being muffled by skin as he smiles at the memory.

"Mhm," Dick says, hugging Wally close. "It was a nightmare to buy, but it was worth it."

"I still think we overdid it on the garden, no one needs this much space Dick, no one." Wally sighed but hugged his boyfriend even tighter. Why they needed an entire quarter of an acre he would never know.

"It's nice, Walls. Some extra backyard space never hurt anyone," Dick insists with a smile. He kisses him on his head covered with fluffy ginger hair.

"I dunno babe, kinda hurt when you plowed some extra backyard space into me." He laughs heartily and rubs his face into Dick’s neck a little harder.

Dick chuckles and strokes the speedster's hair gently, amazed as always by the vibrant color. "Hmph," he grunts, letting their small exchange fall into a comfortable silence.

The peaceful quiet is interrupted when Wally's cellphone starts playing it's obnoxious ringtone, " _I Just Can't Wait To Be King_ ".

Dick tenses up as the calm cases. He sighs because he knows Wally is gonna need to leave, Bruce had told him about the suspected attack in Blüdhaven later. One he couldn't help on, one he was _ordered_ to leave to the man in his arms.

Wally reaches for the phone and picks up. "Heya, Bats! Yep, on my way!" He puts the phone down after the short reply and smiles apologetically at Dick, kissing him on the cheek. "Duty calls."

Dick sighs at the loss of Wally's abnormal warmth before wandering into the kitchen to get dinner started. He starts singing softly to himself, the songs from _Hamilton_ Still fresh in his head after seeing it the day before. _"Domestic life was never quite my style."_

~

Wally speeds down to the location in Blüdhaven where the supervillain Brainiac was expected to be attacking. He skids to a halt just out of view from the baddie, aware that this mission could go wrong very fast if he wasn't careful.

Brainiac was waiting, he knew this city had protectors, a human brat and an inferior copy of Central City's Flash. He had a plan, but what would be the point if he didn't play with his _food_ first.

Wally, deciding that was enough sneaking around and craving some action as usual, leaps out of his hiding spot and sucker punches the Brainiac quickly.

"That was a good try kid, but I don't know if you realize how predictable you fast folk are." he sighs, using a forcefield to push Wally out of his path and slowly approaches the waterfront beyond the warehouse doors.

 _Uh oh._ Wally tries running at the bubble he's caught in, but it doesn't budge. _Curse my inability to phase,_ he thinks spitefully. He presses the button to open the coms. "Hey! I could use some-" His call for help is cut short when Brainiac destroys his earpiece telekinetically.

"Nice try son but that isn't an option I'm afraid." Brainiac slowly moves the small orb containing his foe over the water. He was curious as to where the human counterpart to the duo was, _probably dead like the weakling should be_ , his train of thought making him snort to himself.

Wally can only watch helplessly as he's dangled above the water. _Is he gonna...?_ The speedster shakes off the fear pooling in his gut by shooting a quick quip. "Hey! Let me out of this thing so we can _actually_ fight. You scared I'll beat your ass?" he taunts with a grin. _C'mon, c'mon... Just need to stall enough to let someone arrive and get me out of here...!_

Brainiac shakes his head before slapping a hand to his forehead and dragging it to his chin in an exasperated gesture. "I'm not going to waste my time killing you the hard way when I could make you suffer the easy way." He makes the forcefield containing the speedster smaller until there is hardly any room before creating a small hole in the top and plunging it below the water.

Wally yelps as the forcefield shrinks considerably, not giving him hardly any room to move and causing a pang of panic to shoot through him. He begins to hyperventilate even before the water starts streaming in, chest heaving with the effort of trying to _keep calm_. Then the top opens a little and water comes rushing in, filling the bubble quickly. He takes one last, frantic inhale before his head is swallowed by cold water, green eyes wide in terror.

Brainiac senses the weight shift against the bubble and closes the hole before bringing it to his eye level. He stares into frantic green eyes.

"Pity no one was here to die with you, oh how poetic that would've been, two comrades dying together to save their city, failing and being the sole reason the world follows suit and dies." He speaks with an almost joyous tone. "Bye, Bye." And with a wave of his hand the sphere shrinks as much as it's able removing every spec of air remaining.

Wally tries to hold his breath for as long as his lungs will allow, ignoring the burning in his chest in favor of staying awake. He begins to squirm violently, subconsciously aware that would do nothing to help him in his current situation, but his fear overrides all logic.

 _Needairneedairneedair,_ he thinks wildly, unable to keep his mouth shut anymore. He opens it and inhales a lungful of water, coughing violently in attempt to expel it before taking in another gulp of water. _Oh God I don't wanna die not like this I need_ AIR-!

Dick was in his uniform before the call was even over, Wally was in danger and needed help.

As he approached the scene he started crying. The Flash's body was floating at the top of a sphere filled with water.

Brainiac laughed as he heard the bike approach and quickly released the now corpse from his grasp. "The pathetic human has come for his partner has he? Shame he was too late isn't it?"

A wave of guilt hit NightWing. _This is my fault. I'm to blame, I shouldn't have listened to Bruce._ He ran for wally's side as the bubble containing his boyfriend burst. He eld the lifeless body in his arms ignoring the snarky comments flowing out of Brainiac.

"Wally, darling, I'm here now it's okay." He brushed the ginger hair from Wally's face, murmuring words of comfort, his world had just fallen apart. Wally's body was cold, so so cold. Dick screamed in agony, this couldn't be happening, they bought a house, they were looking for surrogates just yesterday. How could this be happening?

He pulled his boyfriend in for one last kiss, sobbing heavily. He didn't care about the Aliel standing just a mere few feet away, he lifted the limp body and trudged toward the bike. He hoped he wasn't too late, he prayed that bruce would let him take wally to the pit.

Brainiac was so confused when there were no rage filled attacks. "Where are you going?" He didn't know why he was letting The two men get away. Maybe out of pity. _I should kill them both, but what if he brings the supers to me, I can kill them all that way_ "Go on then, I'll be here after you finally get over your grief to actually fight, but in the meantime killing innocents will do."

"I don't think so," came a strong voice from behind before an inhibitor collar was placed around his neck, the last thing he saw before being knocked to the ground was the mark of the house of El.

Dick couldn't hear anything over the trum of his own heartbeat, he hoped he wasn't too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: he was.
> 
> Sorry for the somewhat abrupt ending!


	18. Beach Day (Bluepulse)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime and Bart spend some quality time at the beach!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Jaime  
> SAS as Bart
> 
> Beware: choppy narrative and abrupt ending. We cut this one short because it wasn't too fun to write. We hope you enjoy anyways!

Bart sped around his room, successfully tearing up the space in the process searching for his swim trunks.

 _Wheretheheckarethey??_ He finally flops down, letting out a long, dramatic sigh. That would be just his luck; Jaime offers to take Bart to the beach, Bart _thoroughly_ proclaiming he has never ever been and how crash it was gonna be. _Can't go swimming if I can't find the--oh there they are_

"Ah," he rolls over, hearing a snicker from the body sitting on his bed. "I guess uh, I was looking with my eyes closed!" He smiled sheepishly.

"Clearly," comes Jaime's reply, looking up from his phone. He tucks it away into his back pocket, standing and walking to Bart. "For someone with superspeed, you sure take your time with things." Jaime grins and pecks Bart on the cheek. He offers his hand to the speedster. "Shall we?"

He nods quickly, eyes growing large with anticipation. He takes Jaime's tan hand in his own, and walks side by side with him. "So," he looks up at his boyfriend with a smile on his lips. (the height difference made him seem all the cuter) "What do you do at the beach? You can go swim in the water, right?" The whole thing was so retro to him, and the idea was making his mind race a million miles a minute.

"Yeah! You can swim, and there are these shops and restaurants all around the boardwalk." Jaime notices Bart open his mouth (without a doubt to ask what a "boardwalk" is), so Jaime begins explaining before he even asks. "It's this wooden platform going over the ocean that you can walk on. Sometimes they have mini carnivals on them. The one we're going to does."

Bart grins at there being restaurants and the carnival. _This is going to be sooo crash!_ He nods, listening eagerly. They could go swimming and look for shells.. then they could go eat and Bart could buy Jaime something from a shop then they could go to the carnival and Bart could win them plushies-!

"What's the beach called?" He perks up out of his thoughts as they near the Zeta tubes.

"Santa Monica," Jaime answers. "It's way in Los Angeles, but these Zeta tubes will be useful for that." Jaime pushes the worries of being scolded for using the Zeta tubes for unnecessary travel into the back of his mind and focuses on Bart's impossibly pretty eyes instead. "What do you wanna do first?"

"Hmm," He ponders on it for a second, weighing his options. Maybe the carnival would be best at nighttime? "Can we do the beach first?" Bart grins up at Jaime who has a dreamy look in his chocolate eyes. No matter how many times Bart catches Jaime staring at him-- _trust me, it's a lot_ \-- it always brings a familiar redness to his freckled cheeks. "That way we can tan--well. Uh, you can tan. I'll probably just hide under an umbrella and lather sunscreen on," He bites back a giggle, and makes 'lobster claws' with his hands. "Don't wanna get red, even if it suits me pretty well~"

Jaime laughs, putting an arm around the younger boy. "I thought you said you wanted to swim! Plus, I can't take off my shirt thanks to Khaji Da." A clicking noise fills the air from the scarab and a tsk noise comes from the back of Jaime's throat. He stops at the Zeta tube entrance, waiting for it to scan them.

Bart gulps. _Well this is embarrassing.._ Back in the Future, there wasn't any need to swim. Bart never learned after that either.. "I uh.. don't know how?" He frowns, resting the side of his head on the tan arm around him. It didn't seem hard? Just treading water, but pushing forwards.. seemed like he could learn it fast anyways.

"Oh!" Jamie blinks. It had never occurred to him that Bart might not even know how to swim. "I can teach you, but we better stay in the shallow parts. The ocean isn't the best place to learn how to swim." Jaime offers.

_RECOGNIZED: BLUE BEETLE B22, KID FLASH B23_

He nods, not discouraged in the slightest. "Sounds crash car-in-o!" Bart flashed him a grin, knowing Jaime would old respond with an eye roll at his butchering of the elder's native language. Bart knew how to pronounce it. He just liked to tease Blue, that's all.

Jaime made a face at Bart, puffing his right cheek out a little. "Y'know, one day I'm gonna stop responding to that." Despite Jaime's mild annoyance he couldn't help but smile. Bart had that effect on him. _As long as Bart's happy, I'm happy._ And the speedster certainly looked pleased with himself.

Jaime led Bart out of the Zeta beam exit and into the open air. A long stretch of beach was visible to the left and right with the boardwalk directly in front. Jaime smiled down at Bart, watching his expression change from excited to ecstatic.

Bart stuck out his tongue a bit in anticipation and stepped eagerly with Jaime out of the beam, taking in the surroundings. The were definitely near the ocean, he could feel a soft breeze ruffle the strands of his hair, and he breathed in the crisp salty air. He can even hear the constant crashing of the waves against the shore.

"I can't believe we're here," he says, sort of in a high pitched tone. "Oo-" he reaches into his swim trunks pocket, fishing out a pair of sunglasses. "Perfect." He says very satisfied, emphasis on the 't' sound.

Jaime feels a familiar flutter in his chest, one he identified months ago as love as he observes Bart's wide-eyed wonder and innocence. "To the beach!" Jaime declares loudly, scooping Bart up in his arms and running to the water.

He hears himself squeak a bit, and laughs, wrapping his arms around Jaime, nuzzling his slightly upturned nose into his shirt that smelled of warm spices and chicken whizzies. He looks back up moments later to see the full sight of the ocean, rays of sunshine flickering and dancing on the dark blue waves. Bart gasps, mouth in a wide open grin. "This is way prettier than I expected!" He lightly tugs at the collar of Jaime's shirt, then pointing to the water.

"Yep, I never really get used to the view either, as many times as I come." Jaime sets Bart down gently on the sand, hardly out of breath thanks to his insanely light and tiny body. "Here; take off your shoes! The sand feels great against bare feet," Jaime says, slipping his sandals off.

He nods obediently, slipping off his tennis shoes, picking up the sand and letting it run through his fingers. He picks up a shell to inspect before tossing it aside. He looks around, taking in the sights. He sees seagulls diving down into the water, adults splashing eachother in the water, and kids running around. His eyes land on a structure made out of the sand right beneath them. "What's that? How did they do that?!" He points to their left, at two little girls patting shells onto their structures.

Jaime follows Bart's gaze to the sandcastle and chuckles. "It's a sandcastle! You can make them by filling buckets with wet sand and stacking them on top of one another."

Bart's eyes widen and then a lightbulb goes off in his head. "We should do that!" but he notices they don't have buckets.. "I'll be right back!" He stands up and jogs over to the little girls.

"S'cuse me, miss?" Bart says sweetly to one of the little girls, who turns to face him. She tilts her head in confusion.

"I was wondering if me and my boyfriend over there," he glances over his shoulder at Jaime, sitting in the sand somewhat confused. "Could use one of your buckets to make a sandcastle? I promise I'll give it back!" He offers his award winning smile, and the little girl turns to the taller one beside her. The tall one nods, and makes an "aww" movement with her mouth. Bart's smile widens to a grin, as the little girl hands him a bucket.

Jaime walks to intercept a running Bart, holding up the bucket victoriously. Jaime hoists Bart up in his arms, spinning him around a little. "Your charming personality wins the day again!" Jaime laughs, setting Bart down gently.

Bart feels himself being carried in the air and his eyes close for the moment, giggling and laughing his heart out. "Hasn't failed me yet!" He says looking up to his boyfriend and placing the bucket upside down on his head. "Aight, show me how to do this," he says plopping down and draws a circle into the sand marking where the castle should go.

"First, you gotta collect the sand." Jaime swipes the bucket from off Bart's head and carries it to the water, scooping up the wet sand and handing it back to Bart. "Now you flip it upside down onto the sand. Really quick so it doesn't fall out," Jaime instructs, watching Bart to see how he does.

"Seems simple enough," He crosses his legs and slides his sunglasses up onto his head and takes the bucket. He flips the bucket close to the ground really fast and presses it against the sand. "Lift it up?" He asks.

"Yep!"

Bart does so very carefully and the packed sand comes clean from the bucket and-- _I think I did it!_ he smiles to himself. "Huh," he says inspecting it. A few cracks, by that's okay. "It needs something," he looks at Jaime thoughtfully.

"Let's go find some shells and rocks to put on it!" Jaime offers, standing up and offering his hand to Bart.

His pale hand intertwined with Jaime's dark tan hand, and he lifts himself up. "Alright!" He looks around finding many pretty shells, but most broken. "See anything good?" He squints his eyes and sees something shiny in the sand. He goes to pick it up but it's just a gum wrapper. "Tch. Rude," he says disappointed.

Jaime looks around, squinting a bit. "There!" Jaime picks up a smooth, tiny piece of blue material. "This is seaglass! I used to love collecting it when I was a kid." He hands it to Bart, grinning at his find.

Bart goes 'ooo' taking the glass in his hand. "It's really pretty," he says with a small smile. "Imma keep it," he decides and tugs Jaime along so they walk more. A strand of hair falls into Bart's face as he rests his head on the elder's shoulder. "Do you swim a lot? Are you good at it?" He hums.

Jaime hugs Bart's shoulder once more as the younger uses his own as a headrest. He decides to tilt his head so it's resting on Bart's gently. "Yeah, I swim. Used to be part of a team until this happened," Jaime gestures to his back. "I like to think I'm still good at it though."

Bart frowns slightly, knowing that Jaime couldn't do a lot of thing's because of the Scarab.

He bumps his hip lightly into Jaime's with a smirk. "I bet you are. You better be good teacher too. I don't feel like drowning." Bart teases a bit, 'boop'ing the Hispanic’s nose.

"I'd never let you drown, mi amor," Jaime says warmly, kissing Bart softly on the head. "Don't know what I'd do without you."

"Awhh," a light pink dusts Bart's cheeks and he ducks his head slightly. Suddenly, he makes a small gasping sound, as a tide rolls in and the water rushes past their feet. "Oh it's just the water," he mumbles with a chuckle. It was cool, a nice contrast to the warmth of the sand.

"Feel like swim lessons yet?" Jaime asks, slowing their pace a bit and enjoying the water washing over his feet.

Bart grins from ear to ear now, "Thought you'd never ask!" He walks a bit more into the water and stands for a second, letting himself sink into the sand.

Jaime follows, wading a little deeper so the water is up to his knees. "C'mon, then! And be careful of the waves; the big ones can knock you over!"

Bart sticks out his tongue, challengingly. "I'm not _that_ small." He goes out a little further so the water is right at Bart's thighs. "Alright. So I'm in the water." He squats down in the water right after a small wave rolls past them.

Jaime follows Bart, standing closest to the shore so he can catch Bart if he's wiped out. "Okay, when you feel confident enough, lift your feet off the ground and kind of float on your back. I'll be supporting you so you don't sink," he instructs. "And don't be alarmed about the water in your ears; it's actually kinda relaxing once you get used to it."

He does as told, leaning back into the water and floating a bit, feeling the cool water wash over his thin body frame. He sighs a content sigh and sucks in air, right before a wave washes over him and he comes back to the surface, hand wiping his eye and then slicking his hair back out of his face. "Ugh,"

"Gah, sorry," Jaime apologies hastily, turning Bart over so he's standing again. "Maybe we should do this later. In a pool."

Bart nods, and light pads closer to Jaime, and wraps his arms and legs around the taller figure. "S'ok! Not your fault!" He says with a smile, gazing up at Jaime.

The elder wraps his arms around Bart and carries him bridal style out of the water. "So, you up for some food?"

Bart let's himself be carried and he grins widely, thinking about all the food he could eat right now, he was _hungry_ and could eat a whole menus worth of food. "You know me well, Blue."

"We can go to an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet! Knowing your bottomless stomach it'll probably be cheaper than going to a regular restaurant." Jaime reasons.

He chuckles at that, nodding in agreement. "Sounds crash Jaime!" Bart says jumping out of the elders arms and cleaning up, along with giving the little girls their bucket back. He slips his tennis shoes on, and grabs extra shirt that he had brought, tugging it over his head.

Jaime puts on his sandals, but other than that doesn't change. He decides to let the wind and sun dry him off. He leads Bart to the restaurant, thankfully getting their seats within a reasonable time frame.

"All right, so we can eat here and then check out the shops?" Bart suggests scooting into the booth the waitress had led them to. "I want some souvenirs." He add with a grin, then opens up the menu, reading it all in less than a second.

"Sounds like a plan!" Jaime agrees. "Know which course you're gonna get already?"

"I guess since we're by the ocean, might as well get some pescado." He winks, proud of himself for using a Spanish word. He read through his Spanish dictionary everyday, learning and remembering new words.

Jaime smiles at his boyfriend, appreciative that he took the time to learn some Spanish. "Alright! Pescaso it is!" He gestures to the window they were sitting besides that had a great view of the ocean. "A good thing about restaurants by the beach is that they have amazing views."

"Not as amazing as you~!" Bart's head lazily tilts and his pink lips form to a smile. _This is all I've ever wanted. Jaime and I on an amazing date. Just us. And he really is amazing.._

"That was... really corny," Jaime remarks, laughing. Still, he feels heat rush to his cheeks at the remark. It's enough to get him to lean over the table to kiss Bart sweetly, taking his soft hand in his own.

"Yeah, I know," He says sheepishly, suddenly very shy as his hands are taken into Jaime's. _he'ssuchabigsoftyandhe'ssoadorablewhateven_ "But it's true." Bart states matter of factly, rubbing small circles with his thumb on the back of Jaime's hands.

"Don't forget about yourself, ese." Jaime's face lights up as he gazes into the speedster's face, captivated by his round, bright green eyes and pretty lips tilted into a smile. "You're beautiful and amazing and I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend."

"Darn, how can I top that?" Bart sighs dramatically. "I love how when we started dating you got all lovey-dovey and said mushy lovable crap to me." The teen's face significantly reddens, saying it out loud. That had meant it be in his head, he guessed.

"Just making up for all the time I didn't," Jaime says, grinning. He feels calmed around Bart, despite his impulsive and energetic nature. The small circles being pressed into his hand proved the point further.

Soon their waiter arrives, letting them order their food and what feels like an _eternity_ to Bart, the food finally arrives. Every drop of willpower is going into not devouring the plates of food in seconds. He channels his energy into thumping his foot repeatedly on the floor: old habits.

Jaime begins eating quickly, knowing how much Bart was probably looking forward to it. He feels appreciation bubble up in his chest as he realizes Bart is eating slowly for him on purpose. He can even hear and feel his foot thumping up and down rapidly. He decides he'll let the use of super speed in public pass this time, especially since it's Bart's way of containing himself.

Bart looks up from his meal that he's been trying desperately to eat casually. He looks around a bit, seeing no one really in sight.  
_Well, if I just-_  
Using his superspeed he steals 2 shrimp from Jaime's plate and shoves them in his mouth, chewing and swallowing and when everything returns to a normal speed, he stays nonchalant, and continues eating his meal.

Jaime notices two shrimp disappear from his plate and looks up at Bart, who's still eating as if nothing happened. "Bart," Jaime begins. "If you're gonna use your super speed, at least use it to eat from your own plate." Jaime smiles at Bart to let him know he's not actually upset.

Shaking his head he replies with a solid; "Dunno what you're talking about. I've been eating my food this whole time--" but Bart starts to laugh mid sentence, and gives it away. "Those were good shrimp, could use some lemon though." Bart shrugs with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

Jaime shakes his head in mock exasperation, continuing to eat. He scarfs down a bit of his salmon, enjoying the complex flavors. "You should try savoring your food, hermano. That way it's easier to eat slowly."

Bart fake yawns, and slightly rolls his eyes, impaling his food with his fork. "Sure thing, _mom_." He smirks, giving himself a chuckle before eating slower, taking Jaime's suggestion. _It's okay. But this doesn't beat downing 8 burgers in less than a minute._

Jaime finishes a little quicker than Bart, who upon realizing Jaime is done eats the rest of their food in a few seconds. He releases a puff of air, sighing with satisfaction. "Well, I'm full. You?"

Bart contemplates, but decides he is, so nods in response. "Gonna save room for all the junk food we're gonna eat at the carnival." _Deep fried Oreos_ He sighs happily.

Jaime allows Bart to pay for both of them, deciding he'll buy Bart anything he wants at the carnival. He takes the younger by the arm as they stroll along the pier. He notices the sun going down, casting long shadows across the boardwalk and painting the sky a rainbow of colors. It's romantic and Jaime is eternally grateful for this day with his amazing, adorable boyfriend.

"Jaime, I love you," Bart says suddenly, very much compelled to spew the words. The setting sun played off of Jaime's sun-kissed skin perfectly, making the speedsters eyes do a double take. _How did I get so lucky?_ He thinks to himself in awe.

"I love you too, mi chiquito," Jaime says, brushing a bit of long brown hair out of his face. "Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We had a lot more planned for this, such as fun at the arcades and rides on the boardwalk and a romantic walk along the beach once it was sunset, but we were both getting restless. You can imagine it instead I guess haha


	19. Metamorphosis (Bluepulse OT3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Khaji Da- the scarab fused to Jaime's spine- suddenly has a form of its own. Jaime has mixed feelings. Bart is outraged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Khaji  
> SAS as Bart  
> briskyfrisky as Jaime
> 
> UNFINISHED AND WILL STAY THAT WAY!

Jaime Reyes was still relatively new to the whole Blue Beetle gig. Sure, it had been months since the scarab Khaji Da attached itself to his spine, but just when he thought he'd gotten the hang of it, The Reach happened. Granted, everything was (mostly) back to normal now. Bart and Jaime regularly went on missions together, and succeeded every time.

Today was no different. Jaime had woken up positively cheery and was now on a mission with Bart to collect some stolen government tech. Everything was running smoothly until he felt the scarab _moving_ in his back. He had nearly passed out from the shock of the foreign feeling. "Ay dios mio! What in- AH!" A sudden jolt of pain ran up his spine, causing him to cry out involuntarily.

"Jaime what that heck?!" Bart spun around hearing the cry from his friend and ran towards him. That is, until he saw all of the armor retract _completely_ so his normal civilian body was exposed. Meanwhile, the scarab was chirping madly as it.. seemed to tear itself away from the host's spine.

"EW, what is _that_?!" He yelled out and Bart raised a defensive arm just in case 'it' did anything. "What's happening Blue?!" The speedster was trying to process what had seen, and what he was seeing now. By now Jaime collapsed on the ground, and seemed to be.. unconscious. _He better be just unconscious._ Bart thought, quickly putting two fingers to the teen's neck checking for a very much present pulse. It was beating rapidly but at least it was there. But now he had _no_ idea what to do?!

Khaji Da tore their way through Jaime Reyes' skin, mumbling confused words in their native tongue. As soon as they breached the skin and made it into open air, they leapt to the ground, morphing rapidly. Soon they were no longer a blue scarab, but a humanoid figure much resembling a species of The Reach. Khaji stood to their full height slowly, drinking in the world around them. Their attention soon was fixed on Bart, who looked just about ready to join Jaime unconscious on the ground.

"Bart Allen," Khaji says, more to themself than anyone else. "You are Bart Allen."

Bart counted a whole 2 long seconds of him just staring at.. at the.. at the _whatever _, bottom jaw nearly touching the ground, eyes stretched as wide as they could go, and in an almost cowardly stance before he _screamed_ bloody murder at the top of his lungs. The speedster fell back into his butt, and crawled-more like scurried-back to Jaime, still on the ground. Bart positioned himself so he was somewhat covering the now defenseless teen and started to frantically try to wake him up.__

__"Do not be alarmed, Impulse. I am simply Jaime's partner." Khaji begins walking toward the panicking boy and glances down at Jaime, still unconscious. They make a move to touch him but Bart's arm is in the way before they get an inch forward. Khaji makes a click sound in annoyance. "Get out of the way, Impulse. I do not wish to use force."_ _

"'Do not be alarmed' _MY ASS!_ " He squeaks out, voice cracking a bit. He could care less right now. This thing claims to be Khaji, and yet looks _very_ similar to the race of aliens that took Jaime away from Bart fairly recently. "Like hell you're gonna use force! You aren't laying a.. finger? Yeah, finger. You aren't laying a finger on Jaime orsohelpmeiwilltearyouapart!" He's huffing now as he's moved to his knees, ready to strike. What could it do? What would it do? Bart was still in the dark about the whole situation in general. _Wake up Jaime.. please!_

_Perhaps if I inform him of my plans he will let me carry them out,_ Khaji thinks, "I am going to wake him up," they say simply. "It does not matter if you do not cooperate. I will wake him no matter what. You can make the process faster- and less painful for yourself- if you do as I say and _move_." Khaji is getting impatient. If Bart Allen doesn't move soon, they will strike. 

A little bit of helplessness and anxiety builds up into Bart's chest as it's getting harder to breath. He didn't know what this thing could do--what he _is going_ to do. "D-don't hurt him!" Is all that comes out, and he shrinks down, thinking if something did happen to Jaime, Bart would be better off unharmed and conscious so he could do something about it. Yeah, that was his plan. 

Khaji notes Bart's rapidly increasing heart rate but decides to ignore it. _He's not my host, why should I care?_ They morph their hand into a metal pipe and blast a bit of strong rust and sulfur-smelling air right under Jaime's nostrils. 

__Jaime suddenly awoke to the smell of rotten eggs. He scrunched his nose and moved his face away from the source of the odor, but the quick movement caused a sharp pain to shoot through his neck. All the pain that he felt before rushed back. His whole body was stiff and his spine felt as if it were tearing apart. He glanced over and saw a bizarre figure next to him. Jaime blinked his eyes to help clear his vision. A screamed escaped the teen when he saw the creature by his side. "WHAT IS THAT?!" He tried to scurry away, but every move he made sent a raging pain through every inch of his body._ _

__"I am Khaji Da. Your partner. Be still- you are still in pain and may worsen the effects."_ _

Bart watches still unsure of what to do. But his emotions get the better of him, and he narrows his eyes bitterly. " _I'M_ his partner. _YOU'RE_ some parasite that just.. appeared. For no reason!" 

Jaime was freaking out. Who wouldn't? He was in terrible pain and this _thing_ claims to be the scarab that's been attached to his spine for months. All of a sudden it decides to crawl out of him? Jaime was confused and scared, but hearing Bart's voice was able to calm him down. Knowing that he was there reassured him that everything was going to be okay. Through heavy breaths, he was able to speak. "Since when were you able to do that?! You know, a warning would have been nice!" 

__Khaji makes a few clicking noises before speaking in English. "I do not know. It would not have mattered in the long run if I had warned you. You would still have wound up unconscious." Khaji ceases speaking for a moment, thinking. "Your mission is now irrelevant. Making sure Jaime Reyes is at his maximum potential is the priority. Recommended tactic: tactical retreat."_ _

__"This is weird.." Bart just pulls his knees up to his chest and stares over at Jaime. Is this what he had to hear in his head all the time? Annoying. Already annoying. "We can't just leave.. imeanwhatabouttheotherstheyneedourhelp!" He sends over pleading eyes at Jaime, hoping to bring logic to this whole situation._ _

__"Yeah, you're right. They need our help. We should complete our mission." Jaime puts his weight onto one arm in attempt to stand, but failed and fell onto the floor again, screaming in pain from the impact. "Or maybe not. You go ahead. I'll stay here with Kahji."_ _

__"Ha! Sure!" Bart said sarcastically and lightly wiggles his arm to link with Jaime's to give him support. "Not leaving you here hermano. Not a chance. None." He says staring down Khaji hatefully._ _

__Khaji narrows their eyes at Bart. Everything Bart has done so far was a sign of aggression. Khaji did not understand why. "Allow me to carry him back to base. It will be much more efficient. You should stay here to carry out the mission."_ _

He looks over to Jaime in the somewhat helpless condition he's in. "I'm fast enough to go with you, and be back here in no time. _I'm coming with._ " He states firmly, voice strong and unwavering even though he was still internally freaking out. Lots of what ifs. Too many questions. The mission was the least of his concerns right now. 

__Jaime saw how sure Bart was, but he still didn't think it was a good idea. "It's fine, really. We received a mission and it needs to be completed."_ _

__A long whimperish sigh emanates from Bart and he puffs his cheeks out. "I can't leave you, I need to make sure you're okay.." he whispers quietly, but has already accepted that he's probably not going to be traveling with them._ _

__"Don't worry, I'll be alright. You'll be back in a flash." Jaime smiled to reassure Bart, and himself, but he was sad to tell him to go. He didn't want Bart to leave. He wanted him by his side, but he knew that the mission was more important. They had to do what was best._ _

__Bart nods slightly. "Okay.. be safe." Is all he says before speeding off before he did something he might regret._ _

Khaji picks Jaime up and extends his beetle wings, taking flight back to the makeshift base. _What an odd species,_ he finds himself thinking, not for the first time. 

__~ 0 ~_ _

__Bart speeds into the infirmary as soon as they arrive at the base, not even caring to knock. "JAIME!" He goes to his side in a blur, vibrating with anxiety. All he could think about all mission was if Khaji and the teen got back safely, it was killing him. "I'm back!"_ _

"Bart!" A huge smile appeared on Jaime's face. He was _so_ happy to see the younger teen. His time alone with the new Khaji Da was awkward, uncomfortable, and confusing, so it was nice to have Bart there to support him. "How did the mission go?" 

__"It went okay. I mean, it wasn't the same without you. Everyone was kinda on edge-but that's not your fault! It's all good. We completed it!" He gave a toothy grin and sat down on the foot of the infirmary bed, feet dangling slightly._ _

__Khaji Da watches the two boys silently, not seeing any need to interrupt their exchange of words. Once Bart ceases speaking, they pipe up. "You do not need to be in the infirmary any longer, Jaime Reyes. I have concluded you are well enough to perform everyday activities."_ _

_How can it tell that?_ Bart looks at Khaji questionably but soon just shrugs and offers a sweet smile to his friend who did actually look a lot better. Maybe they could go watch a movie, or eat, or perhaps they could go mess with Garf or maybe get M'gann to make them something to eat. _I'll let Jaime decide._ "Soooo, Blue, watcha wanna do? Now that you're better-" Says the younger as he scoots more towards Jaime. 

_Oh no he's so close._ Jaime looked down to hide his flushed face. "Well, I'm completely exhausted, physically and mentally, so I just want to rela-" The teen was cut off by a loud rumbling sound coming from his stomach. "Actually, let's get a snack." The teen stood up and turned away from the others in the room, not letting them see his embarrassed face. 

__Completely oblivious to the pink creeping up onto Jaime's cheeks, Bart grins. "I was hoping you would say that!" He chirps, hopping up from the bed and slightly skipping out the room towards the kitchen right behind the elder._ _

Khaji follows them, not knowing what else to do. As they walk, their mind races to understand _how_ they turned into this form, but nothing makes sense. They are stumped. 

__Jaime happily walks next to Bart on their way to the kitchen, but the feeling starts to fade as he senses someone behind him. He turns to see Khaji following them closely. "Can I help you?" He didn't want to sound rude, but he wanted to be alone with Bart for a bit. The younger teen calmed him and he needed someone to talk to. Khaji, being the root of Jaime's problems, wasn't the best candidate, but he knew he could tell Bart anything._ _

Bart turns around a bit having not even noticed they were being followed. A shiver stops him in his tracks and his teeth clench slightly. _Creep,_ he thinks, stepping protectively in front of Jaime. Bart knows he probably didn't need to, but Jaime was also practically defenseless which made the speedster all the more on edge. 

__"No, I do not believe you can," Khaji answers Jaime pointedly. They stare at the two teens when they make no moves to continue walking. "Go on. Do not mind my being here."_ _

Bart laughs dryly, no humor in his tone. "But.. the point of _us two_ hanging out," he points to himself and Jaime. "Means it's _only_ us two." He taps a foot lightly onto the ground, hoping Jaime would back him up on this... he wasn't wrong, right? Bart didn't think Jaime wanted to be around Khaji at the moment. 

__"I do not see the issue. When I was attached to Jaime Reyes' spine you two seemed very content in talking to each other," Khaji points out._ _

Bart scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Well now that he has a little bit of _freedom_..." he crosses his arms, already tired of this conversation. 

"Fine you can stay, whatever. Just stop arguing." Jaime was already tired of the bickering. He just wanted some peace and quiet... and food. "They can help us figure out what happened and why." He turned away from the two others and stepped into the kitchen. 

Nodding slightly, Bart gives Khaji one last look. "Jaime, I don't think.. Kahji is a _he_. More like an.. _it_. He grumbles slightly making sure his voice was low and quiet. "What if it got put on mode somehow? What if it's spying on us?" he spews out, biting his fingernails. It's an unhealthy habit he picked up, but it slightly soothed his anxiety when it came over him badly. 

__"I believe it would be most fitting to refer to me as they or them," Khaji butts in. "And The Reach has been defeated. There is no way I could be put 'on mode' as you say."_ _

"Bart, Khaji has been with me for months now. I think I can trust them. They said it themself, there's no way they can be on mode." Jaime thought the younger teen was being ridiculous,but he could tell that he was genuinely suspicious of Khaji. It made him think... _What if Bart is right?_ He shook his head, doubting himself. 

__"It'll be okay. Even if something happens, we'll be able to handle it." He smiled to his friend reassuringly._ _

__"But-" He starts but finds he doesn't have anything more to say. He was only worried for Jaime, Bart could care less about his own safety. He was a meta, whereas his friend was only a normal powerless human._ _

"Okay.. okay." He repeatedly gives small nods as if trying to convince himself as well. "I'm not trying to be an ass. I'm really not-- I-I'm just worried?" He drops his gaze and rubs his arm. _I don't think I overreacted.. but I could have handled this better. We can handle this._

__Jaime puts his hand on Bart's shoulder. "You don't need to worry about that. Besides, we have more important things to deal with. Like what we're going to eat. I'm starving," he says as he rummages through the refrigerator._ _

__"You had me at 'eat' her-man-o." A wide grin displays across his soft pink lips and he grabs a strawberry banana yogurt from the fridge and goes to the pantry grabbing the M &M's and chocolate chips._ _

Jaime grabs a slice of leftover pizza and munched on it cheerfully, wondering how he was able to get his hands on the pizza before anyone else. He looked over and saw Khaji sitting and watching them eat. "Do you want something? You can help yourself to anything." He took another bite of his pizza and began to think. _Can he even eat human food? What if he photosynthesizes like a plant?_

__"I do not think I need to eat," Khaji remarks flatly. "But I appreciate the offer." They close their eyes thoughtfully, lips pursed into a thin line. "I still do not understand how I was able to form this body... Jaime Reyes, we may need to try a different method of fusion in order for you to become Blue Beetle."_ _

__"Fuhon?" Bart's emerald eyes widen as he speaks with the spoon in his mouth. "Howthath thuppose to wurk?"_ _

__"Are you gonna stick to my spine again? Is there a less permanent way to do it? It would be nice if you can come on and off whenever we want." Jaime was enjoying the feeling of a normal back and only his thoughts in his head. He would have loved being normal again, but he wanted to continue saving people and going on missions. The others have become a second family to him._ _

__Khaji doesn't even pause to think before responding, "Yes, there is. I can alter dimensional energies temporarily. Perhaps I can adjust them just precisely so we become fused into one being."_ _

" _That_ sounds dangerous." Bart deadpans, crunching on an M &M. "Maybe you guys-- er.. you two-- could ask Zatanna for help? Like how she cleansed the scarab n stuff? Maybe she could do something about your situation." He shrugs not really knowing what to do about all this retro technology. 

"You mean cleansed _me_. I am not just a mindless creature, Bart Allen," Khaji says, narrowing his bright orange eyes. "And no, there is no need to ask Zatanna for assistance. I know what I am doing." 

__Bart chooses not to respond to their first statement not wishing to argue again. He thinks it over and gets an uneasy feeling in his stomach, not asking for help. "I don't.. I-" He glances over to Jaime not knowing how this could all affect him._ _

_This is really risky. The process sounds dangerous, but Khaji seems confident._ Jaime spent a bit of time contemplating what he should do. "If you believe that you can do it, then I guess we can give it a try." He agreed to fuse, but he was still uneasy about the whole situation. 

"J-Jaime don't you think we should.. maybe.. I mean.. you still need rest! You should give it a few days! Y-you might want to prepare for this.. I don't know what happens but. Jaime I don't want you rushing into this." Bart says abruptly, his tone dripping with worry and concern. His yogurt was finished and he let it rest in the counter of the kitchen, fidgeting either his hands. _If something happened I wouldn't know what to do with myself. You're my reason, Blue._

"Yeah... Yeah you're right. I should take some time to prepare for this... I need to think about what I'm getting into." Jaime stares blankly at the rest of his pizza. _This is insane. I'm finally free from the thing that has affected my life drastically, and I'm going to do some life threatening procedure to get it back on me. But if I'm not Blue Beetle anymore, I won't be able to help people who need me. I won't go on anymore missions with the others. There will be no reason for me to be with Bart... He'll leave me and I'll be back to my old boring self..._

__Bart really notices how his friend starts to tense up and how his mind goes off to different places, so the speedster puts a hand on the teen's shoulder with a caring smile. "That's okay Blue. Relaaax, we can worry about this later. C'mon; we can go watch a movie if you want~!"_ _

__Jaime wraps his arm around Bart and his worries slowly fade. "Sounds good! You have a movie in mind?" He eats the last bit of his food, regaining his appetite_ _

__Mind turning to mush at the sudden contact, Bart struggles to get out a quiet- "N-no not r-really," -feeling his face flush but had no way of hiding it. "B-but, uh, I heard 'Keeping Up With The Jones's' was a funny movie?" The speedster then offers a slight smile._ _

__When thinking of a response, Jaime looks at Bart and realizes what he just did. He quickly lets go and feels his heart beat faster. "The-that, i mean, that's a good idea, I could use a good laugh right now..."_ _

Khaji frowns slightly. _That sounds like a waste of time... Aren't they worried about the future of Blue Beetle?_ But they decide to keep their mouth shut for once because it seemed every time they talked, it caused some form of tension. And as much as Bart would likely object, they have his best interests in mind. 

Bart slightly glances over to Khaji and gives a head tilt. _Maybe if I tried to be nice..._ "Want some popcorn?" He points to the pantry towards the boxes of unpopped treats with a grin. "It's really good, I promise." 

__Khaji stares at the strange looking snack curiously. "I suppose I could..." They reach (hah) for the box and pour a bit onto their hand, shoving them all into their mouth before anyone can say anything. "...It is crunchy," Khaji comments._ _

Bart cringes hard letting out a strangled noise, scrunching up his nose. "Khaji _no_ \-- oh _eww_ that's disgusting. No, you gotta--" but he just grunts and buries his face into the side of Jaime's shoulder starting to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh _gosh_ , I wish I got that on video." He gasps out, not being able to take in air from the giggles using up the oxygen in his lungs. 

Jaime watched Bart laugh hysterically and couldn't help but let a chuckle escape him. "Stop laughing, they're trying." He looks back at Khaji and he _loses it_. He grabs onto Bart so he doesn't fall onto the floor. His stomach and cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. Every time his laughs calms down, he looks back at the other laughing teen and loses his control again. It doesn't take long for him to end up on the ground, clutching his stomach. 

__He slowly slides down to the floor next to the teen and by this point he has tears in his eyes. "Fff-Khaji, you gotta-you gotta put it in the microwave first!" Bart barely gets it out before lies down on the floor, head falling just under Jaime's outstretched arm. "Ohhh boy.." he remarks breathlessly._ _

__Khaji stares, bewildered, at the humans' unusual reaction. For a moment Khaji is worried he did something bad, but when he reads the pheromones coming off of the two they're all positive. He continues eating the unpopped popcorn with a shrug. "They seem fine like this."_ _

__"Oh my gOSH NO WAIT Y-" Jaime can't even finish his sentence. He bursts out laughing once again. Tears come out of his eyes and he gasps for air every few seconds._ _

__Bart's clinging to Jaime's shirt trying not to cry of laughter. "Bl-Blue! I think they like it like that though-" He chokes out, sticking out his tongue and pointing a finger to it in disgust, making a 'bleh' sound._ _

__Khaji furrows his eyebrows in confusion and puts down the box, still cracking some of the kernels with his extra sharp canines. "I do not understand what is so amusing."_ _

__The speedster slightly rolls his eyes, sprinting up to the box and snatches it, sticking one serving into the microwave and sets the timer for 2 minutes. "When the corn kernels heat up they pop and turn light and fluffy. See, look." He starts the microwave and sits in the counter patiently._ _

__Khaji watches the microwave intently until the kernels begin to pop, the first few startling them a bit._ _

__Jaime giggles seeing Khaji slightly jump when hearing the popcorn. "They can alter dimensional energy, yet they're startled by popcorn," he snickers. Jaime leans into Bart and whispers. "Think of all the pranks we can pull on them."_ _

__Bart throws a smirk onto his lips, trying hard not to laugh again. His cheeks were too sore, and he didn't want to raise any suspicion. "I like the way you think Blue," while crossing his arms over his chest, Bart lightly kicks a plastic cup off the counter into Khaji's direction while they stared intently at the microwave, it crashing to the ground loudly behind them. "Ooooops."_ _

__Khaji jumps at least a foot in the air and morphs their arm into a cannon, blasting the cup to smithereens in an instant. The shot leaves a trail of smoke and ash in its wake on the previously untouched floor. Khaji stares at the spot with a blank expression. "Apologies."_ _

__"AY CABRON!! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL SOMEONE!!" Jaime jumps back, avoiding the blast that wouldn't have hit him anyways. "Ok, maybe that wasn't a good idea." He looks at the damage done and immediately regrets everything._ _

"I guess not-" Bart says from up on the center of the counter to where he scurried to during all of that. He gulps and sits back down carefully. _Well, I didn't know they would do_ that?!  
"Lets _not_ blow stuff up anymore..?" Bart suggests, still shaking a bit. 

__"I will try. When I was with Jaime he helped suppress my reflexes so I didn't destroy things- or people- as much. I suppose I must get used to being on my own..." Khaji trails off with a frown. _This is all very strange.__ _

"I-it's fine. You're learning, you'll get the hang of it." Jaime calms down and attempts to comfort Kahji. "The popcorn is done now. Go ahead and try it the way its _supposed_ to be eaten." He changes the subject to relieve the tension in the room. After opening the bag, he gives it to Khaji, offering them some. 

__Khaji peeks into the bag tentatively, analyzing the now puffy white pieces of popcorn. "Amazing," they remark to themself, skewering one on one of their claws. They flick it in their mouth and chews slowly, turning it around a bit once it's in. They swallow and immediately go for another handful, stuffing the snack in their mouth._ _

With a sigh, Bart sticks another bag into the microwave, seeing that it wouldn't be long before they finished off the bag. "Oh it's cool, me and Jaime can just share." He gives a defeated look, puffing his lip out in a pout. _But secretly, thank you._ He starts to daydream about him and the teen snuggling close on the couch together while sharing a bowl of popcorn. _Don't kid yourself, Bart._

"We can share, its no big." Jaime says with a bit of amusement from watching Khaji stuff their mouth with the popcorn. He looks at the bag of popcorn in the microwave when he had a sudden realization. _We're going to be sharing popcorn. We'll have to be close. We'll be reaching into the same bag. What if we reach at the same time??? _Jaime turns red from the thought and was going to suggest putting their portions into separate bowls, but decided against it. _I wouldn't mind it too much...___

____"Crash," Bart whispers not-so-subtly, and instantly starts mentally kicking himself. When the microwave timer finally goes off, he grabs out the bag awkwardly, somewhat rushing to get out of the room without saying anything else. _Stupidstupidstupidstupiddummy__ _ _ _

____Khaji follows Jaime as he exits the room as well, munching on their bag of popcorn thoughtfully._ _ _ _

____Bart goes ahead of them and is first into the screening room, leaping over the couch and landing onto the cushion gracefully. He sinks into the soft cushions after grabbing a plush blue blanket from the end of the couch and shifts so Jaime could squeeze in beside Bart if the teen wanted to._ _ _ _

____But instead of Jaime, Khaji plops down on the spot, disappointing everyone in the process. They lean back comfortably and continue munching on the popcorn, seemingly engrossed in their thoughts._ _ _ _

Glancing over to his side growing suddenly pale, Bart's heart drops when the warmth next to him wasn't or Jaime but of the one and only Khaji Da. _Damn it!_ The speedster sighs and stuffs a handful of popcorn in his mouth trying to hide the disappointment in his face while drawing his knees up to his chest almost as if to hide under the blanket. 

____Khaji sitting next to Bart was like a punch in the stomach to Jaime. All his hope fades into disappointment. "Wai-... Bu-... Nevermind." He wants to tell Khaji to move, but a whisper was all he manages to get out before he gives up. He sits on another couch a few feet away from the other two, feeling defeated without putting up a fight._ _ _ _

____Khaji looks at the much larger couch Jaime is sitting on, gets up, and sits next to him. They wave Bart over. "Come, Bart Allen. This sitting apparatus is large enough to fit all of us."_ _ _ _

Bart's hand stops midway to his mouth, jaw slightly hung open and wide emerald eyes scan over the couch, then over Khaji then land on the spot beside Jaime. It wasn't that small of a spot, and the spot beside Khaji was bigger (not that the small teen couldn't wiggle and fit his way into the smaller space.) but the bewildered boy was very unsure of where to go. _Well do_ something _Bart!_  
So he slowly stands with the bowl of popcorn in one hand and wraps the blanket around his narrow shoulders like a cape and inches his way towards the larger couch, still very much freaking out on where to sit. 

____Khaji shuffles to the side, making room for Bart to sit between the two. They attempt to smile but it ends up looking more like a lopsided grin._ _ _ _

"T-thanks," Bart whispers quietly, returning the smile as he plops down on the couch already very conscious of how close he was to Jaime. He only further wraps himself in the blanket hoping that would block the sound of his very fast heartbeat, which Bart was sure that _Australia_ could hear from here. 

____Khaji notices Bart's heart rate pick up but does not say anything._ _ _ _

Jaime wants to scoot over to give Bart more space, but he's at the very end of the couch. The two teens were almost squished together, but he didn't mind. _We're reeeally close._ He could almost smell him if it weren't for all the popcorn in the room. Their arms were lightly touching and Jaime could feel the younger teen's warmth. He melts from the slightest touch and tries his hardest to hold back a huge grin. 

____Khaji notices Jaime's heart rate pick up and decides to say something. "Jaime Reyes, your body temperature has increased exponentially and your heart rate has doubled," they announce bluntly._ _ _ _

Embarrassed, Jaime buries his face in his hands. "It- its nothing. I'm, um, I'm fine." _Stupid stupid stupid stupid Khaji._ "It just got warm since we're all sitting so close..." 

____As Bart's giggles die down, he buries his face into the blanket, suppressing the dumb grin he held on his lips. "Let's start the movie, maybe it'll cool down once we're all relaxed.." it comes out a little muffled by the blanket as he eases back into the couch (mostly towards Jaime, but it's no big deal..) feeling less tense than before._ _ _ _

____Khaji grabs the remote from the table and hands it to Bart. "I have observed Jaime use this device to manipulate your image projection box."_ _ _ _

Taking the remote gingerly, a hand flies up to his mouth as his somewhat high pitched and fast giggles spill out of his mouth, struggling to contain them to spare Khaji's pride. (Do they have pride? Bart doesn't know.) "Y-yeah! Uh-it's called a _remote _.. and that's the _TV_. Cool, huh?" The teen tilts his head, navigating through the different movies they had on demand, clicking on the desired film.__

Jaime feels bad for Khaji, but can't hold back his laugh. He playfully punches Bart on the arm. "Stop being so mean, they’re not used to this." _It is funny though..._ Jaime wants to tease Khaji, but remembers what happened last time and changes his mind. 

Bart lazily tilts his head back and a bit towards Jaime giving him a pout. "I am _not_ being mean!" And he crosses his arms for effect after shoving the remote at the elder's chest. "Just watch the dang movie.." he grumbles, despite his lips spread wide in a smile after resettling back into the couch cushions. 

______Khaji does not pay attention to the movie at all, but instead speculates on how this came to be. How were they able to transform? Why hadn't they known before? Did The Reach know?_ _ _ _ _ _

______Only when Bart and Jaime's laughter rang out across the dimly lit room does Khaji snap out of his thoughts, gazing at them contently. They were happy, so so were they._ _ _ _ _ _

In the corner of his eye, Bart spots the bright glowing eyes of Khaji looking--maybe staring--at him and Jaime. _Ohdangohdangohdang what if they know I like Jaime? Is that why they're staring?_ and just the _thought_ of his little secret being exposed makes him squirm a bit and he looks down at his popcorn bowl to scoop more of the buttery food into his mouth. "Huh. Empty." 

______Oblivious to all the staring, Jaime watches the movie intently until Bart interrupts. "I can go get more if you want." He got comfortable next to Bart, but he didn't want to say nothing and possibly be rude by not offering._ _ _ _ _ _

_And leave me alone with the newbie at life? Uhhhhhh-_ "Thanks," he smiles softly and hands him the bowl, attention returning back to the movie, praying that it wouldn't become too awkward. 

Khaji is silent during their exchange, only observing the two quietly. When Jaime leaves, Khaji stares at Bart calculatingly. _Bart Allen is obviously attracted to Jaime Reyes._ They were unsure if such information would be inappropriate to announce, so they stay as they are, passively watching. 

______The teen clenches his teeth feeling very self conscious with Khaji watching very over him. Bart's bright green eyes flicker continuously over to his side until he finally heaves a sigh and shifts his body to face the pair of eyes that had refused to look away. "...What?"_ _ _ _ _ _

Oh. I suppose it would not be out of place to tell him what I know if he asks... _"I have noticed your hormones and unusually fast heartbeat around Jaime Reyes. They are usually signs of sexual attraction. Although you are both male, are you not?" Khaji still did not fully understand the whole boys dating boys and girls dating girls thing. It did not make any scientific sense to them, but perhaps there was an emotional side they were not aware of. Perhaps some people just fell in love with others and that's how it worked. _No helping that_ , he supposes._

_Oh my god they know._  
"S-s-sexual? I- no! I mean, I-I do like.." He feels himself heating up, face flushing and it's very notice, even in the dark room. "B-boys can like boys! I d-don't think it should matter, especially if the boy you like is.. _very_ handsome, and sweet, and caring and funny.." Bart trails off, knowing he's saying all of this to the wrong person, and didn't know if Khaji would keep their mouth shut. "Boys can like boys.. I like boys.. Boys are cute..." 

________Khaji tilts their head slightly at Bart and returns to their unnerving silence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"D-do you think.. Maybe.." Bart starts, but ends up flopping back on the couch, knowing his thoughts were most likely stupid._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Do I think...?" Khaji urges._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"DoyouthinkJaimelikesmeback?!" He squeaks it out, voice somewhat cracking due to the swell of anxiety building up in his throat and chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Yes," is Khaji's immediate answer. "Not only do I think, I _know_. I believe being fused to his spine for months has told me enough." 

Bart swears he blacked out, or squeaked, or yelped. But he _does_ know he fell of the couch and tangled himself in his blanket while attempting to muffle his heavy breathing. _Oh.My.God. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. Jaime.. Likes me!_

________Khaji jolts up, alarmed by Bart's intense reaction. "Are you okay? Can you breath?" Khaji removes the blanket from Bart and stares at the nearly hyperventilating boy, concerned. "Bart?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Imgoodipromiseipromise!" Bart was actually vibrating, and had to concentrate very hard so he wouldn't go through the floor. He was very unsure of how to contain himself, jumping between laughing and squealing. He looks back up to Khaji, who was very very concerned looking and the speedster hugs them in a tight embrace. "Ohmygoshohmygosh what should I do?!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Khaji tenses at the unexpected and unnecessary contact. They had witnessed Jaime give and receive many of these... hugs, were they called? Khaji decides they can tolerate them and pats Bart awkwardly on the back, something they'd seen Jaime do. "I do not understand the question."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He raises his hand to his auburn hair, tugging at the strands nervously while still holding Khaji close to his small body. "I-I don't know. Should I just go right out and tell him..? That I like him, I mean. Or should I.. I don't know. Ihavenoideawhattodoiveneverlikedsomeonebefore," he starts to whine, feeling suddenly helpless._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I do not know," Khaji answers honestly. "I do not know much about emotion myself... Only recently have I experienced it."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Maybe I should just.. Calm down. Jaime's been through a lot today.. I don't think i should sick all of my feelings on him today." Bart sighs, knowing he'll just have it bottle it up for a bit longer. _I just want him to know, I just want to let him know.._ he then flops back to the couch face first into the cushions. "...ths gnn be a log nighf.. _the teen attempts to muffle through the couch fabric before returning to sulking._

_________Khaji sits back down next to the speedster, finding his traitorous body enjoying the warmth Bart was transferring into himself and hugs him closer. "Apologies for not being able to assist you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"I.. Can't really believe I'm saying this.. But- we're hugging, and I'm kinda okay with it." Bart smiles a bit up at Khaji and sort of relaxes into the touch._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Likewise." Khaji gazes back down at Bart. Without really thinking, and simply acting on instinct, Khaji reaches up to Bart's fluffy hair and pets it gently. _What is this. What am I doing. Why am I doing it._ But they continue anyways, delighting in the way Bart melts into them perfectly. A warm, tingly feeling spreads in his chest. _Is this... love?_

_________A slight giggle bubbles in Bart's throat, feeling a slight tickle from the hand petting his hair. He decides he likes it and his smile widens._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The warmth in Khaji’s chest grows at the sound of Bart's pure and light laughter. "... I-" Khaji cuts off, confused. Why did they speak? They did not need to. They didn't even know what they'd say after. There was just an unexplainable urge to... say something. Anything. _What is happening to me?_

_________Bart looks up through long eyelashes, feeling the sudden absence of a desired hand in his silky hair. "What? You okay?" He replies softly, not wanting to trouble Khaji._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"It's nothing," Khaji assures both Bart and themself. "I do not know why I said that." A couple blue tendrils morph from their back and wrap around Bart hesitantly, not wanting to make the hyper speedster feel trapped. "If this makes you uncomfortable, please inform me."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"O-oh," He says quietly, still wanting to know what they were starting.. Maybe wanting to say. His eyes slightly widen out of surprise but forces himself to stay calm. "No I'm good.." He whispers slightly confused and bewildered,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Khaji lets their head fall back onto the couch cushion, eyes slowly closing. They feel their thoughts and questions melt away until all that's left is Bart's warmth. _This must be 'relaxing',_ something the scarab had never been able to do before. There was always something to think about. 

The microwave beeps and Jaime takes the bag out of the microwave. He walks into the room and wants to _vomit. Que chingados??_ The confusing and almost disgusting sight makes him sick to his stomach. He drops the popcorn and slowly walks back into the kitchen to question every decision he's ever made. 

_________Bart's stomach does a flip-flop, startled from the crash of a popcorn bowl on the ground. He leans off of Khaji, peering his head around the corner but seeing no one._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"J-Jaime?? You there? What happened??" The alarmed tone in his voice was a little quiet but only because he was _very confused_ on why Jaime dropped the popcorn. 

Khaji retracts from Bart nervously, reading Jaime's brainwaves subconsciously. _Betrayal, confusion, and a little... disgust? Why?_

Bart looks back at Khaji with a confused look. "What's wrong with--" he starts but his quick mind finally jumps to the conclusion that Jaime saw him and Khaji.. and: _oh. Oh._

_________Khaji is still puzzled, and watches Bart carefully as he stands up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Oh.. ohnohnohno.." He starts to pace, not sure if seeking out Jaime would make things worse. _I can't blame him after what he walked in on. Not that it was anything bad.. but Khaji did say that he does have feelings for me and thatprobablydidntassureJaimethatilikehimback._ Things were getting complicated, and Bart didn't even realize the frustrated tears slightly forming at the corners of his eyes. 

_________"Bart?" Khaji asks, even more confused when he sees the boy tearing up. "What is wrong? Why is Jaime upset?" They stand up next to Bart, gaze flickering between his face and the corner Jaime had disappeared behind._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________He takes a deep breath and attempts to form a few words but his head was swimming with self guilt and millions of questions. "You said Jaime likes me right?.. so it probably hurt him to see us.. y'know... hugging.. and close.." he doesn't quite know how to explain the feeling. "H-he probably w-wants to do that with me, y'know? Cuddle and hold each other.. so it hurt him.. to see me do that with someone else.." a tear falls down and he furiously wipes it away with the back of his hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Oh." _I suppose that makes sense._ "You should tell him what was really happening." 

Bart nods slightly and wipes a few more hot tears that stung his cheeks away before he turns and slowly starts to walk into the hallway. _Why am I doing this, what am I even going to say?? He probably doesn't want to talk to me, he'll think I'm just pittying him._

_________Khaji takes a seat on the couch and waits. He figures it'd be better if they thought they were having a private conversation._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Jaime..?" Bart lightly whispered into the hallway, half hoping that the teen had locked himself in his room and wouldn't want to talk to him. The thought of having this heart to heart conversation gave him all sorts of anxiety that he didn't feel the need to deal with at the moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jaime was sitting in silence, thinking about what he would say when he comes out of the room. He couldn't stay in that room forever. His thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door and he freaks out for a second. _No, I'm not ready!_ He doesn't want to keep the other person waiting, so he goes and opens the door slowly, putting the most confused look on his face. 

Breath hitching in his throat, Bart's eyes lower as the door opens and desperately tries to think of the best thing to say right now. _I'm sorry? No, what would I be sorry for.. I didn't do anything wrong. It's wasn't what it looked like? Nope, that won't help much._ He taps his foot on the ground quickly and looks back up at the teen with an almost terrified look. "Jaime..I-I like you. Like.. _like_ you." As soon as the words leave his mouth, he cringed. _ANYTHING ELSE would have been better than that, Bart!!_

Jaime takes his time to register what Bart just said. _He likes me? I mean yeah we're friends why wouldn't he like me? Does he not want to be friends? Is he ditching me for Kahj- OH WAIT-!_ Jaime wants to hug Bart tightly. He wants to tell him how he feels, but he can't believe that Bart likes him. 

"You... You _like_ me? So like, _like like_? Not just as friends butlikesomethingmore??" Jaime is embarrassed, but he _needs_ to know. 

He nods quickly, gulping at least several times. For him, this is lasting and eternity. Every second felt like minutes, close to hours for him. Which, it wasn't-but still. "I really like you. _Like like you._ The corners of his lips twitch into a small, nervous smile. _Yeah right, like he'll believe that. Moron._

Jaime feels a huge weight being lifted off of his shoulders. He didn't have to spend hours wondering if Bart likes him back. He doesn't have to argue with himself about whether or not he should make a move. _He doesn't have to hold back._ He suddenly hugs Bart tightly and can't help but laugh a little. _Bart Allen likes me. He likes me back_. He holds the teen even tighter, not wanting to let go. 

_________Bart gasps a little at the sudden contact, but welcomes it even after his feet leave the ground and he hold tight onto Jaime. "Dooooo you like me back then?~" he laughs, still a bit nervous and shocked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jaime lets go of Bart reluctantly and looks into his eyes. "No," he says seriously and pauses for dramatic effect. "I _love you_." So much." He sighs loudly, still trying to believe what is happening. "You have _no idea_ how long I've wanted to say that." 

_________His green eyes widen slightly not even believing what he's hearing. He was hearing correctly, right? He's pretty sure he did, but he asks just to be sure._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You--?" He coughs and clears his throat after his voice cracked embarrassingly. "Y-you _love_ me? Love _me_?" Bart points at himself and then rests it over where his heart would be, checking to see if he was even alive. _Love me for a long time?!_

_________Jaime throws his arms up, unable to hide his enthusiasm. "YES!" He puts his hands on Bart's cheeks, careful not to hurt him. "I love you, Bart." Jaime looks at him sweetly, trying his best not to kiss him, thinking it might be too soon._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Are we gonna kiss?! Or are we gonna.. kiss?_ He bites his bottom lip to keep it from quivering and clasps Jaime's shirt to keep himself steady. The speedster already feels his knees begin to turn to jello at the pairs intense closeness and raises his head to level their gazes. 

_________Khaji listens carefully to their conversation, increasing worry growing in their gut when both of them don't say anything for a while and their heartbeats speed up. They get up and march to the kitchen, bursting through the door. "Jaime Reyes! Bart Allen! You both need to cease whatever you are doing; this heart rate is unsafe to keep for prolonged periods of time," they suggest urgently._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A loud yelp is heard from Bart and he jumps away from Jaime in surprise, banging his hip on the edge of the counter in the process. "aH SHIT! I mean--damn Khaji _what the hell?!_ " He says clutching his side as he slips to the ground in pain. _Well isn't this just embarrassing!? That was perfect timing, thanks a lot!_

Jaime slides his hand down his face while groaning loudly when Khaji _rudely_ interrupts their moment. He hears the thump when Bart hits his hip and offers him emotional support. Hitting your hip on the edge of a counter is almost as bad as stepping on a lego. 

"Have you ever heard of _privacy_? Jeez, you really need to stop freaking out over these little things..." 

_________"It is not little," Khaji insists. "What if you had a heart attack? Or passed out?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Khaji," Bart whines. "It's not like we're running or anything! It's okay I promise. Aren't we too young to have heart attacks anyways?" He looks questionably at them and stands up, touching his side with a wince. _That's gonna hurt in the morning. Well, now too._

_________"You are never 'too young' to have heart attacks," Khaji states, walking closer._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Well," he starts with a scoff. "We would have been reeeeeallly moded if that _somehow_ happened. But it didn't. We're okay." 

_________Khaji makes a few clicking sounds before falling silent, eyeing Bart's injured hip. "Do you require medical attention?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________He gives a slight shake of his head before straightening up. "It's crash, it doesn't really hurt anymore anyways," Bart said with a shrug._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Jaime is still disappointed that he didn't get to kiss Bart, but he realized that he won't be able to just tell Khaji to leave and kiss him right there. The moment is over. He wants to do it when the time is right._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Soooo should we go finish up that movie?" Then he remembers. "Wait, before we do that, _what was that all about?!_ Bart, you were so suspicious about Khaji just a couple of hours ago and suddenly you're _cuddling_? What's with you two?!" 

_________His cheeks take on a slight pink and Bart slightly straightens up and gives an uncaring shrug. "I uh.. I mean--they kinda calmed me down." He rubs the back of his neck and glances over at Khaji. "I guess I shouldn't have been quick to judge.. I mean..cuddlers are always good guys!" He says and shoots a sweet smile at them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Khaji blinks at the gesture, the warmth in his stomach reappearing. They think Bart is giving them a compliment from his tone, but isn't sure, so they simply nod in agreement._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_I'm a cuddler..._ Jaime's heart sinks and he felt a hint of anger. "Well... Jus-... Whatever..." He walks back into the screening room and sits in the middle of the couch, feeling annoyed, but mostly with himself for getting angry at such a small thing. 

_________Bart, oblivious to Jaime's troubledness, follows close behind after slotting his hand in Khaji's and tugging them along until they got to the couch. Bart lets go of their hand and sits down to the left of Jaime, pressing up close to him with a smile on his face as he takes in the teen's warmth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Khaji allows Bart to take their hand, almost shyly following behind and taking their seat beside the speedster. All of a sudden, a large boom shakes the room to its core._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Bart clutches onto Jaime hard and his eyes widen, eyeing the objects dispersed on tables and shelves that were threatening to fall to the ground. "What the heck was that..?!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Forgetting that he is now powerless, Jaime puts his arm in front of Bart to protect him. "I don't know, but we better find out before it does some serious damage..."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Perfect," Khaji says, looking pleased. "This is the perfect time to see if we can fuse."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Wiggling out of the arm that was protectively over him, Bart stands and looks at Khaji almost concerned, but mostly thoughtfully. "You sure? What if something happens? What if one of you gets hurt? Orworsebothofyou!" His pleading green eyes look to Khaji's for answers, very much wishing that they didn't have to risk anything._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"The odds of something going wrong are very slim, Bart Allen." Khaji looks at Jaime questioningly. "Is this okay with you?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Jaime feels the pressure from both sides and doesn't want to displease anyone. He looks back and forward between Bart and Khaji, not knowing what to do. "Well... If Khaji thinks he can do it… and we'll do it eventually right?" He looks at Khaji and mentally prepares himself for what he's about to do. "Ok, let's do it."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Bart knew this would have to happen eventually, just he wasn't hoping it would be _this soon _. The speedster takes a stew and throws his thin arms around Jaime and presses his forehead to the elder's chest, squeezing like he would never let go.__

___________Jaime takes a small step back, surprised by the sudden embrace. He looks down at Bart and smiles sweetly. He puts one arm around the the younger teen's body and the other goes to his head and strokes his hair. He leans his head onto Bart's and squeezes back, never being close enough. "We'll be okay. I promise."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Reluctantly, Bart let's go after a few more long seconds but goes right to Khaji, giving him the same (uncomfortably) tight embrace he shared with Jaime. "Please protect  
him. I know you can I-I just... worry, that's all... I trust you, I really do."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Khaji returns the embrace without hesitation. "Gratitude, Bart Allen." They try their hardest to smile at Bart not-so-creepily this time and turn more solemnly to Jaime. "Please move back," they direct Bart._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He steps away slowly with a nod and gives them two thumbs up, bracing himself for anything bad that may happen. _Oh god.. maybe I should just go get someone... anyone!_

___________Khaji closes their eyes, concentrating on bending reality, which is just as difficult and complicated as it sounds. They feel a little resistance from who knows where, but they push through. There's a bright flash of white light, and suddenly Jaime and Khaji are gone. In their place is Blue Beetle in all his glory, a sight for sore eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Gasping loudly, Bart jumps back and (he had instinctively covered his eyes in a slight bit of fear) removed the hands from his face and takes a long look at _Blue Beetle_ before grinning as wide as he could. 

"You're okay!! You _are_ okay.. right?? Both of you are there?" Rushing up to them, he places a hesitant hand on the chest plate armor covering Jaime's body underneath. 

___________Jaime felt strange being Blue Beetle again, but there was something comforting about it. He moved his fingers, getting used to the feeling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"Yeah... Yeah! It worked!" He feels Bart's hand on his him and holds it with his own. "It worked."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Oh I'm so relieved.. _imjustgladyoubothareokay_ " he was practically bubbling with excitement and threw his arms around him for about the millionth time that day, wishing he could pick Jaime up and spin him around. 

___________Jaime chuckles and hugs Bart tight, only drawing away when another explosion shakes the building. "Guess we'd better go check that out, huh?" Blue Beetle smiles at the speedster and flies quickly out of the room, knowing Bart was more than capable of keeping up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________A grin spreads across Bart's lips and he quickly speeds to his room to get his suit and in no more than 3 seconds later, he's running right beside Blue, still grinning like an idiot._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Blue Beetle exits the apartment through the door and soars into the sky, vision switching to infrared. Once he spots the crooks responsible for the explosions, he drifts down just outside the factory building._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Bart zooms past, running along the walls of the building to get down to the ground, looking and spotting some sketchy looking guys, seeming to be trying to steal some type of weapon. What it was, Bart couldn't tell. "Hey! You! What the heck was that for?!" The speedster shouts out, then sprints up close to them, trying to see if he could figure out what they were doing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plan was to kill Jaime off and have Bart blame Khaji. ;)


	20. Say My Name (Halbarry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a scuffle with Poison Ivy, Barry finds he orgasms every time someone says his name. He just hopes it'll wear off before Hal notices...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Barry  
> SAS as Hal

Bats sure as _hell_ better thank Hal for this.

This wasn't even his city, let alone his villains. And _boy_ was Gotham weird. Sure, Hal had seen some funky looking baddies. But they were _aliens_ , and these were _humans_. How he got roped into fighting Poison Ivy? The Trinity left for an offworld mission, leaving the rest of the league members to handle things on earth while they were gone. Which wasn't a problem for Hal, because he had just gotten back from an offworld mission and didn't feel like leaving again. He felt like spending time with Barry, and that was going just great until he was summoned to Gotham because no one else was available to lock back up some coo-coo in Arkham. Barry, being the amazing person he was, offered to run him over to the gloomy city and help take out the villain. 

__This lady was apparently obsessed with plants, and Hal was currently trying to slice through thick green vines that threatened to strangle him._ _

__Barry had a few scuffles with Poison Ivy before. She was always underwhelming to fight in his opinion, but so were many other villains thanks to his superspeed. Right now, Ivy was struggling to pin the speedster down, sending most of her plants after him in attempt to slow him down. One of them caught his foot and he went racing by, sending him face first into the concrete. Another vine slams down hard on his back, causing the air to be blasted right out of him. He gasps for air as soon as he's able, but finds he's inhaled a lungful of sweet smelling mist. The vines retract as if they knew their job was done, which causes a pang of fear to shoot through Barry._ _

Ivy looks satisfied, and suddenly the green vines that were constricting Hal's ribs retreat away and he drops to the floor with a hard _thud._ After breaking himself away from the shock, Hal looks around frantically for his partner and spots the scarlet speedster lying face first into the unforgiving ground. Hal _swears_ he could have heard Ivy give a devious "Good luck!" as she escaped, vines forming at the wall of a nearby building that allowed her to escape. He doesn't have time to dwell on it, because before he knows it he's up and rushing over to Barry's side, kneeling down cautiously despite how dizzy he felt. 

__"Barry? Barry are you okay?" He said quietly, knowing no one would probably hear._ _

Barry is in the middle of attempting to cough out the substance he inhaled when Hal comes racing towards him, calling his name worriedly. As soon as the word "Barry" escapes Green Lantern's lips, a pang of warmth erupts in his abdomen and he gasps in surprise. _Did I just... orgasm?_

__He can feel his face heating up, thankfully mostly covered by this mask. He lifts himself up on shaky arms and stays on the ground on hands and knees, focusing on regulating his breathing. "Y-yeah. I'm fine."_ _

__Hal looks down at the Flash and frowns. "Are you sure? Why did you gasp, is something broken?" He kneels down and starts to dust Barry off, checking with his ring for any internal organ damage._ _

__Barry clutches onto Hal's arm to help sturdy himself as he stands. "No, I'm okay. I think that stuff just messed with my muscles or something cus I feel weaker," he lies._ _

__"Alright Bear," Hal says still unconvinced but hoists Barry up. "Maybe we should just get back up and call it a night." He suggests with a small smile._ _

Barry winces as Hal says his usually adorable nickname, the feeling of releasing in his pants getting _very_ uncomfortable. "Y-yeah," he says, letting go of his boyfriend. "I'll meet you back home, okay?" 

__Without waiting for a response, Barry speeds off down the streets of Gotham._ _

__A whoosh of air ruffles the brown strands of Hal's hair and he cocks an eyebrow looking down the path the speedster disappeared down._ _

__"Was it something I said?" He shrugs and looks around, noticing the police cars starting to arrive on scene. As much as he would like to chase after Barry, Green Lantern should probably wrap things up with authorities.. he grunts and makes his way over to a few officers who thank him a bit ungraciously._ _

They mostly just wave Hal off, which he was _totally okay with._ He stayed a max of 20 more minutes before he shot as fast as he could up into the smoggy sky, heading for his and Barry's shared apartment. 

__~ 0 ~_ _

__Barry is sitting on the couch when Hal comes in, and he looks up with a smile. "Hey, Hal."_ _

__Hal steps inside the doorway and is utterly confused. "Hey?" He says with peering eyes, humming to himself. "You, uh--you good?" Hal asks and shrugs off his jacket, lazily tossing it onto the shoe bench beside the door. "I mean..do you feel better?"_ _

__Barry nods. "Yeah. I think whatever Ivy spritzed on me is gone," he says, looking a little confused himself._ _

"Oh," Hal nods slowly but shrugs and walks over to the couch, flopping beside his boyfriend and proceeds to sprawl out over him. "That good." He says passively, quietly wondering what it _was_ she had used on Barry. And what had it _done_? 

"Mhm," Barry hums, resting a hand in Hal's hair. He somewhat nervously eyes Hal's head which was right in his lap. _It better be gone, or I'm screwed in this position._

__"Love you Care-Bear.." he says softly, closing his eyes peacefully, even though he was still wound up from all the adrenaline still running wild through his veins._ _

__Barry tenses as he comes into his newly changed into pants(which is rather frustrating in itself) but manages to keep any noise from escaping his throat. "Love you too," he forces himself to say._ _

__Hal's eyes shoot open and he turns his head up to face Barry, who wore a deep shade of pink across his cheeks. "Are you sure you're okay Barry?" Hal says with thick concern, noticing how the man tenses up once more._ _

__"Nn," Barry groans as Hal says his name again. "On second thought... I guess the effects are still there."_ _

"Wha--?" He sits up slightly and notes how Barry was close to _panting _, his breathing was so irregular. "What.. _effects_?" He asks after the long pause, looking back and forth from Barry's half lidded eyes to his heaving chest.__

____"I... don't know," Barry lies once more, pushing Hal gently off of him. "It's... hot. Sorry."_ _ _ _

Instead of getting off of his boyfriend normally, he dramatically falls onto the ground and groans loudly and irritably. "Uuuunnng--" He grumbles as he rolls, and he finally stops rolling around like a child on the carpet, sitting up on his knees facing Barry. "Babe, Barry, come on just _tell me_." 

____"Jesus-" Barry gasps, closing his legs tight together. "Stop- saying my name. Please."_ _ _ _

Hal straightens up and tilts his head to the side. "Why..?" He says with a confused look, but then swallows and gets to thinking for himself (never a good thing). Every time Hal had said Barry's name, or even his nickname, the speedster would get really out of breath and fidgety. He even _groaned._ _Gasped._ **Closed his legs.**  
_Oh my shit._

Barry keeps his mouth tightly shut as he watches the truth unravel itself in Hal's mind. It would be cute- _if_ the circumstances were different. He sighs, relaxing a little into the couch now that he didn't need to worry about lying. "Get it?" 

" _Oh I get it alright,_ " Hal teases, but is still shocked with how he hadn't really figured it out sooner... he should have known, by Barry's behavior. Hal smirks a little. Would it be cruel to...? Maybe. Probably shouldn't… at least for right now. 

_Damn_ , Hal wonders how it would feel to just.. release like that _every_ time someone said your name. He really needed to clean his conscious. 

____"I see that smirk, jackass," Barry says with a murderous glare. "Don't."_ _ _ _

Hal rocks forward off of his knees, shifting towards the couch so he could prop his elbows up on the edge. "Aww.. What did _you_ think I was gonna do--" Hal starts while he rests his chin in the man's lap, ."--B-b-aarr--??" He draws out the name and leaving out the last letter sound, cruelly and dangerously. But Hal was fully prepared for if his boyfriend decided to flat out tackle him. 

"Hal," Barry warns once more, placing his hands on the man's shoulders, ready to push him off. "Don't you dare." But part of him _wanted_ Hal to say his name, no matter how much he'd deny it. 

____Hal's smirk only widens into a full on grin at the firm hands at either side of his head. "Why? Whatcha gonna do, huh?" He challenges, and then slyly but without an actual sound, words out 'Barry', questioningly ._ _ _ _

"Are you kidding me?" Barry groans, bringing a hand up to his face to facepalm. "Why do you have to be such a fucking _tease_ , Hal?" Barry only cursed when he was feeling more intense than normal, and this time was no exception. 

"Oh so you _want_ me to say your name now?" He says low and knowingly, struggling to contain how much he was _enjoying_ this. 

"I swear I'll _leave_ if you don't _quit it_. You know I can," Barry threatens, mostly bluffing. It would be a waste not to make the most of Ivy's mist while it was still in effect, but if Hal kept teasing him he might just need to jet. Just to teach him a lesson for once. 

_But you won't._ Is what he wants to say, but Hal knows it would only get him in trouble. Instead he only presses a small kiss to the man's inner thigh and mumbles loudly into the fabric. "But will you _now_ , **_Barry?_** " 

____Barry moans openly now that the cat is out of the bag, hips shifting forward into Hal's face involuntarily. The waves of arousal ripple through him, leaving his legs tingly. He brings a hand to Hal's mess of brown hair and twirls a few strands around his fingers, still moaning._ _ _ _

"God _damn_ ," Hal says hastily, before feeling his lips press hard onto Barry's crotch which was warm and starting to feel damp. The fingers in his hair turn him on further and he huskily speaks into the fabric once more. " _Barry._ " 

_Barry lets out the same breathy sigh, eyes closing blissfully. His chest heaves from coming constantly, but it feels _good_. "H-Hal," he whispers back._

____"Feel good babe?" He asks the rhetorical question through his partially closed lips that were giving constant kisses onto Barry's midsection where the fabric still remained on the man's body. He shifts his elbows off of the speedster's lap and Hal spreads his boyfriend's legs apart, resting his firm hands on Barry's thighs as he rubbed deep circles into them._ _ _ _

____Barry nods, mouth slack and slightly open in favor of panting heavily. "Come," he mumbles, tugging on Hal's arms insistently and searching for a kiss. "Closer."_ _ _ _

Hal does as told and shifts so he's almost all the way up on the couch. He can't deny how much he's _loving_ Barry's spent look, his toned chest moving quickly each time he gasps for his breath. There was a glazed look in Barry's blue eyes, and Hal wanted _all_ that came with that gaze. 

____Barry surges forward to capture Hal's lips in his own, groaning. He keeps a hand at the back of Hal's head, securing him in place as he attacks Hal's mouth more aggressively than ever before._ _ _ _

Almost as instantly as Barry's lips clashed with Hal's it was practically like the speedster was shoving his tongue down his throat but Hal _welcomed_ it. He grunts and moves his slick mouth against his boyfriend's, finally finding a good rhythm so he could scoot his legs up and was able to straddle Barry. When Hal finally had to pull back for air, he's wheezing as he licks his red lips. 

"Holy-" He pants some, mouth open to take in as much air as he could. "- _shit Barry_ ," is all he could think to say. That had to be one of the most assertive, aggressive, and _sexy_ kisses the man has probably ever given Hal before. 

Barry chuckles breathlessly as he releases again into his pants, the liquid beginning to seep through and feel _very_ uncomfortable. "Ahh-" he groans quietly, hips bucking in attempt to find some friction. 

____Hal looks down and notices some of Barry's struggle. "Speed us to the bedroom? Unless you wanna screw right here on the couch, because I'm about to rip your pants off.." he says impatiently and bits down on his lip, the hand at the back of his head feeling warm and reminding Hal of just how tight in his pants he felt._ _ _ _

____Barry nods, but instead of taking them to the bedroom, he picks Hal up and speeds them to their shower. "So we don't get the bed all gross," he explains quickly._ _ _ _

____"Mmm this is kinda hot Bear," Hal comments and he eyes the shower, wanting more than anything to strip Barry down and jump right into it and the only thing between them being the steam from the hot water…_ _ _ _

_____Oops maybe should have waited till in the shower to say his name again._ _ _ _ _

____The speedster tugs off his shirt then unbuttons his pants hastily, wanting desperately to get out of his moist clothes, damp from sweat and semen._ _ _ _

____Hal automatically tugs down Barry's pants and helps him get them off, then returns to stripping himself out of the undesired fabric. Once he was out he turns on the shower, stepping in slowly. The warm water hits his back and he almost groans but holds it in so he could direct Barry into the shower, pulling them close for another kiss._ _ _ _

____Barry slips off his underwear as Hal turns on the shower, then walks in with his boyfriend, letting him lead the kiss this time. The water cleans off all the previous semen from his crotch, causing the speedster to sigh happily into Hal's mouth. His entire body vibrates gently._ _ _ _

____Despite Barry's blurred body outlines, he kisses the man passionately and deeply, backing him carefully up against the wall. Hal forgets he can make Barry come on command for a second, so he breaks off the kiss to whisper his name roughly, running his hands up and down the speedster's hips._ _ _ _

____Barry whines as he comes, streams of the white substance jetting out of his over stimulated length. He presses his left hand against the shower wall his back is pressed against to steady himself, chest heaving._ _ _ _

Hal plants fierce kisses on Barry's jawline, sucking almost harshly. He left red marks to his own satisfaction, and moved the kisses down to the man's shoulder. Hal raises his left hand and firmly grasps Barry's right shoulder, right hand resting on his boyfriend's hip as he ghosts his lips over the soaking wet skin. Between each hickey causing kiss, Hal murmurs dirty sweet nothings to his boyfriend, saying his name a total of 4 times, granted he didn't really mean for that and he felt a little bad because that was a _lot_. 

____Barry shudders every time his name is said, the vibrating getting more intense. He forces himself to stop and keeps the little tremors confined to his arms and legs._ _ _ _

____"Hal," he groans, reaching out to search for some sort of purchase for his free hand. It finds itself re-entangled into Hal's now dripping wet hair and grips at the back of his head, guiding it to where he wants the kisses to go._ _ _ _

____The guiding hand at the back of Hal's head is warm and somewhat shaky and Hal spots that Barry's vibrating before ceases, to which Hal is certainly unsatisfied with. The brunette's hand on his boyfriend's hip shifts down as he kissed his lover, gliding over the slick skin until he wraps lightly around Barry's hard-on. Hal gives a few slow pumps, well aware all he had to do was say one word and the speedster would unravel right into his hand._ _ _ _

____Barry finds it very difficult to keep from releasing right then and there, and begins to vibrate again despite his attempts to keep it at bay._ _ _ _

____"Hnnn," he groans, looking down with half lidded eyes at Hal freaking Jordan jerking his swelling length off._ _ _ _

____Hal quickens his movements, squeezing a little each time hi got to the base. He cranes his neck and goes right back to work at Barry's blurry lips, sending small waves of static shock coursing through Hal's body and he moans into the kiss, feeling a steady and slow warmth build in his abdomen._ _ _ _

____Barry shivers and comes into Hal's hand, even without him saying his name. He kisses back fiercely, hand still locked into the brunette's hair and pressing gently._ _ _ _

____Hal exhales deeply and runs his thumb over the tip of Barry's still hard cock before reaching for the man's hand, guiding it to his throbbing member._ _ _ _

" _Barry_ ," He whines for the contact, the word slightly muffled by both of their lips being pressed together so tightly, 

____Barry runs his hand over Hal's length slightly, fingers ghosting over the appendage. He grabs it firmly, stroking up and down and leaving no spot untouched._ _ _ _

"Nnph.." Hal grunts, struggling to fight the urge to buck his hips forwards, settling for arching his back and pressing their chests flush together. Despite his best efforts, his hips begin to slowly rock to the rhythm of Barry's pleasurous strokes. _Fuck_ , he was close. 

____They move as one; acting and reacting as if they shared the same body. Barry continues kissing Hal passionately, leaving hardly any room for them to catch their breath even with all the damp air around them. He squeezes Hal's length in pulses, vibrating his hand as he strokes up and down._ _ _ _

____Hals eyes squeeze shut tightly, the tight ball of warmth in his abdomen bursting. "A-Ah--ohh--!" He cries out helplessly as he was overwhelmed with intense waves of pleasure surging through his body. Hal's hips jerk some, and the kiss breaks apart as the brunette lets out quick and short-winded moans that ghost over Barry's lips. When Hal comes down from his high, he breathes heavily, struggling to catch his breath as he searched lazily for Barry's lips once more._ _ _ _

____Barry pumps his hand a few more times so Hal can ride out his orgasm before letting go of his now mostly flaccid length, kissing back firmly. His hands move to wrap around his boyfriend's waist, pulling them flush together._ _ _ _

____A low hum comes from Hal, breathing still deep but not as rugged as before. The feeling of their chests pushed tightly together, with water streaming down the small spots where it could get through made Hal hum, nuzzling his nose into Barry's cheek that was dripping from the still running water. His somewhat shaky hands run up and down the speedster's lower back, rubbing and pressing his fingers on his spine which he knew his boyfriend liked, especially if he was tensed or stressed._ _ _ _

____Barry sighs as Hal massages his back, relaxing into the soothing touch. He tilts his head to give Hal easier access to rest his chin on his shoulder, letting the taller man slump over him loosely. He vibrates happily, a dorky smile spread across his face._ _ _ _

____Hal chuckles slightly to himself as he rubs small circles into his boyfriend's pale back. After a few minutes of that, he wraps Barry up tight, hugging him as if he never wanted to let go. (which, he didn't.)_ _ _ _

____"Hi babe," Hal 'greets' , whispering to Barry and then kissing his shoulder gingerly. "You think that... thing wore off yet?"_ _ _ _

____Barry smiles at Hal in response to his greeting, leaning into his gentle kiss._ _ _ _

____"Not sure. Better be safe than sorry, though, huh?" He turns around and kisses Hal sweetly before going to turn off the water._ _ _ _

____"Mmkay," he whispers, running a hand through his dripping wet hair, ringing it out a bit. He steps out of the shower, quickly opening the cabinet under the sink and snatches out two towels, handing one to Barry. He yawns, stretching his back as he wraps up with the soft towel._ _ _ _

____"Thanks," Barry says softly as he's handed the towel, drying off and dressing in an instant. He hands Hal's clothes to him with a smirk._ _ _ _

____Hal slightly rolls his eyes, but his expression remains soft at the small tug at Barry's lips. He takes the clothes and tugs them on as quick as he could. He straightens back up and picks his towel up off the floor and glances at Barry who had been watching him the whole time, looking somewhat expectantly at him._ _ _ _

____"Hey sweetheart, would you be the best boyfriend ever and dry my hair?" Hal says with pleading eyes, wrapping the towel around Barry's neck with a sweet little grin pressed on his lips._ _ _ _

____Barry gives Hal a small kiss again and unwraps the towel from his neck with a smile. "You read my mind, babe."_ _ _ _

____He places the towel onto Hal's head and gently rubs, pulling up methodically every so often so the water could ring out into the towel. When he's satisfied, he places the towel onto the sink counter and brings a hand up to Hal's now damp hair, brushing a bit out of his eyes. The sight of his messy hair is adorable, and Barry's heart skips a few beats just looking at him._ _ _ _

____"Love you too," Barry replies warmly, closing his eyes peacefully. They breathe as one, chests rising and falling in harmony. Barry can feel himself being lulled to sleep even though he's standing._ _ _ _

____He takes Hal's hands in his own and tugs him gently along to their bed, laying down in it comfortably._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending was kinda abrupt :T


	21. Training (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get spicy during a training session ;)
> 
> (Kudos if you get the reference to another Damijon fic, Petals and Blood)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Damian  
> desplationofzara as Jon

Damian and Jon circle each other on the training floor of the Super Sons base. Damian twirls his katana across his body, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Jon carefully watches Damian's movements, careful not to let him get a quick upper hand on him, but knowing not to be stupid enough to charge in first.

Dami charges at Jon; Jon quickly dodges and dropped to the ground sweeping his leg out hoping to knock damian back. Damian was fast though, and quickly jumps out of the way to let Jon charge at him. Jon threw a punch and Damian easily jumped around it, going to slash at Jon's side, but his katana only sliced through thin air as Jon used his super speed to avoid it.

This dance drags on, each boy charging, but never being able to land a hit on the other. Jon's brow starts to drip with sweat and he was having to slow himself down to wipe away at it to make sure it didn't get in his eyes. Damian is breathing hard, his cheeks flushed. Jon unzips his superbody hoodie and took off his shirt, throwing both outside of the rink.

Damian pauses for a moment, wordlessly agreeing to a time out as Jon discards his clothing and chucks them to the side. He can't help but stare at Jon's now exposed chest, heaving with the effort of catching his breath and glistening with sweat. Damian shakes himself out of his thoughts and takes off his cape and tunic so he can be more mobile, casting them aside swiftly. He raises his readied fists and waits for Jon to come at him once more.

Jon shakes the sweat out of his hair and looks back at Damian. Tight black shirt and tights not leaving much to the imagination, and leaving EVERYTHING to it at the same time. This black shirt was fitted over his torso, accentuating the curves of his abs every time he took a deep breath in. Damian raises his fists in a ready stance. Jon observes the way his boyfriends biceps moved under the fabric. The corner of Jon's mouth lifted up into a smirk, maybe he can find out a way to 'mix up' training a little bit.

Jon stretches his arms behind his head, and matches Damians position. This time, Jon is the first to charge at the other boy. Jon hears Damians soft breathy chuckle and it send electric sparks down his spine, and fire through his veins.

_I need to end this training session, and_ fast. Jon thinks, growing needier each time Damian moves to try and land a hit of his own, his muscles moving deliciously under his shirt. 

_Wait a minute! Fast!_

____Jon begins using his super speed as an advantage and made sure Damian stayed on the defense until Jon backs him up against the wall. Jon quickly places his forearms by Damians head and uses his height to an advantage as he loomes over the shorter boy._ _ _ _

____"Pinned ya'." Jon breathes, nose practically touching Damian's, fighting the strong urge to grind his hips down on Damian's._ _ _ _

____Damian blinks as Jon leans in close, his face suddenly inches away from his own. His breath is coming out in heavy pants, and Damian is gasping as well._ _ _ _

____The air is hot between them, yet chills are sent down Damian's spine as he gazes into Jon's slightly narrowed eyes, danger hidden in those beautiful blue irises. He forces himself to stay still, calculating the situation carefully._ _ _ _

____“So you have.”_ _ _ _

____Jon's gaze flicks all over Damian’s face until they land on his lips. They're pink and plump, slightly parted to help with his labored breathing. Jon slowly licks his lips, pressing his torso against Damian's._ _ _ _

Damian gasps, hips shifting backwards into the wall as Jon presses forwards. _Now is_ not _the time for this._ Damian reminds himself, hands pushing against Jon's chest slightly. But he can't help his body's reaction to the stimuli, a warmth growing in his tight pants and causing a blush to darken his face impossibly redder. 

Jon feels Damian's warm hands on his chest, the light touch setting off a fire across his body. Damian's gasp ringing in his ears as he crashes his lips down on the older boys. Jon begins to nip and suck on Damian's perfect plump lips. Jon takes Damian's lower lip into his mouth and _sucked_ , pants growing tighter with every moan Damian released under him. 

____Jon grabs Damian's wrists and pins him flush against the wall, tilting his head so he could flick his tongue into Damian's mouth._ _ _ _

____Jon swallows every moan and whimper that comes from Damian. Jon extracts himself from Damian's lips and trails hickies down the older boy’s jaw._ _ _ _

As much as Jon was enjoying Damian's small moans and pants, he wanted _more_. Jon grinded his hips down on Damian's. 

____"Jon-" Dami manages to get out before Jon's mouth is swallowing his own hungrily, muffling any sounds Damian was making- and he was making a lot._ _ _ _

____Damian tilts his head to the side as Jon attacks his jawline, giving him easier access. His mouth is hanging open slightly, taking in shaky breaths and slowly regaining the air he lost during Jon's intense kiss. He allows a few breathy moans to escape the back of his throat before letting loose a cry of pleasure as Jon shifts his hips against his own again._ _ _ _

____The corner of Jon's lips quirk up into a smirk against Damian's chin when he hears Damian loud moan. Jon grinds against him once more. Damian cries out Jon's name, arching into him._ _ _ _

____The action goes straight to Jon's rock hard dick, sending tremors throughout his body. Jon bites down on his lip and releases Damians wrists, slightly distancing himself from the older boy._ _ _ _

____Damian looks like a mess, his face was scarlet, his jade eyes were glossed and dark, his lips were a puffy red._ _ _ _

_He's still wearing way too many clothes_. Jon grabs the front of Damians shirt and rips it straight down the middle, throwing it off into a random corner of the room. Jon pounces on Damian again, attacking his lips one more time, trailing his kisses lower onto his neck to his collarbone. Jon bites and sucks at Damians collarbone, Damians hands tangling in his hair and slightly yanking. 

_Dammit, Jon. I needed that shirt..._ But Damian can't bring himself to care when Jon's tongue continues lapping and sucking at his collarbone enthusiastically. 

____"Ah~" Damian gasps as Jon sucks particularly hard on a sweet spot, hips thrusting forward involuntarily. He brings a hand up to Jon's hair and tugs on the soft strands gently, grounding himself with the small action._ _ _ _

"Ngh- _Jonathan_ ," Damian breathes, fists tightening slightly in the younger's black hair. 

The only thing that Jon was thinking was _more, more more more more_. He wanted Damian; he _needed_ more of him. He needed him like someone stranded in the middle of the desert needed water. 

" _Jonathan_." Damian gives a breathy moan, and something in Jon snaps. 

____"Here or bedrooms?" Jon practically moans, brushing his nose against Damian's._ _ _ _

____"Whatever you want, beloved," Damian replies breathlessly, half-lidded eyes wandering across Jon's handsome features._ _ _ _

____Jon bends down and loops his arms under Damians butt, forcing the older boy to wrap his legs around his torso as he leads them to the bedrooms, kissing wherever his lips could reach, Damian squirming above him._ _ _ _

____Jon pushes open the door with his foot and kicks it closed again, still trailing kisses wherever he could._ _ _ _

____Jon throws Damian down onto the bed, watching as his pupils blow. Jon slowly crawls between his legs, hearing Damians heartrate speed up. Jon lets out a low chuckle as he slowly undoes his belt and unzips his jeans, almost as if he was giving Damian a show. Jon kicks off his shoes and jeans and lowers himself back onto Damian. His kisses much more gentle this time. Slower, more emotion put into it. Jon feels something hard rubbing against his abs and smirks against Damian's lips._ _ _ _

____"That your katana or are you happy to see me?" Jon rasps, pulling away slightly_ _ _ _

____Damian does his best to meet Jon's lips with each heartfelt kiss, giving up quickly once he starts peppering kisses all over his cheeks and nose. He lays still, passively accepting the many kisses Jon had to offer._ _ _ _

____Damian scowls as Jon leans back slightly, rolling his eyes. "Just kiss me, you fucking nerd."_ _ _ _

"Jokes on you, Dami. You're about to _fuck_ this nerd." Jon grins, taking great pleasure in watching Damian's face ignite into a deep shade of red. 

____Damian rests his hands on Jon's hips, gently tracing the muscles in his back with delicate fingers._ _ _ _

"How about _you_ fuck _me_?" he drawls, smirking up at his boyfriend. 

____Jon shivers as he feels Damian's fingers gently run up his back._ _ _ _

____"As you wish," Jon whispers, pressing his lips back onto Damian's, one hand on his shoulders, gently laying him against the pillows._ _ _ _

____Jon palms Damians boner through his tights, relishing in the noises coming from the older boy. Jon slowly takes Damians tights off, making his movements as teasing as possible._ _ _ _

____Jon throws the tights in a random direction, crawling back towards a panting, red-faced Damian. Jon gingerly takes one of Damian's hands, that were clenched so tightly in the sheets of the bed his knuckles were white, and uncurls his fingers. Jon licks up Damian's middle finger, hearing his breath catch in his throat. Jon let his eyes flutter shut and pushes Damian's middle finger into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. Jon begins to grind his hips against Damians in time with sucking on his fingers._ _ _ _

____Damian's eyes roll as Jon starts sucking on his finger, and it takes all of his effort to keep his gaze fixed on Jon instead of fluttering shut. God, just the sight was enough to make him painfully hard in his boxers._ _ _ _

Damian moans wantonly as Jon grinds down on his crotch, mouth falling slack. " _Please_ ," he groans, hips lifting to meet Jon's. 

____Jon takes Damian's finger out of his mouth and smirks deviously, "Ah, and those would be the magic words, Mr. Wayne."_ _ _ _

____Jon tears off Damian's boxers and lightly grips his base, slowly dragging his hand up and down his throbbing shaft.  
Jon smears precum over the head and trails it down the sides, his other hand fondling Damians balls._ _ _ _

"Damian, you're _dripping_ ," Jon purrs. 

____Jon continues his movements as he leans over to rummage in the bedside table drawer. He takes out lube and a condom with one hand, stopping his movements momentarily to take off his boxers and roll on the condom._ _ _ _

____"I'm going to make you scream until you see stars," Jon whispers into Damian's ear, slowly positioning himself at Damian's entrance._ _ _ _

____Damian clutches the sheets beside him, bracing himself for what's to come. "I should hope so," Damian mutters with a joking grin._ _ _ _

____Jon chuckles and squeezes out lube onto his hand. He looks at Damian in the eyes as he inserts his fingers into him slowly. Jon watches Damian whine and pant as he thrusts his fingers in and out of Damian's tight heat._ _ _ _

____"You like that babe?" Jon smirks._ _ _ _

____Damian lets out a low moan as Jon curls his fingers, stretching his hole in preparation for his dick._ _ _ _

"Shut up," he hisses, legs twitching a little, "and _fuck me_." 

____Jon only chuckles, keeping the steady rhythm of his fingers, going deeper each time._ _ _ _

____"So demanding. What happened to saying please?"_ _ _ _

____Damian doesn't respond, instead choosing to shoot Jon his deadliest bat glare._ _ _ _

____Jon's laughs as his fingers curl against a particular spot that made Damian cry out and arch against him. Jon smirked and kissed between Damian's collarbone.  
"Trying to tell me something, Dami?" Jon purred, removing his fingers._ _ _ _

Damian chokes on his moan as Jon's fingers are withdrawn, nearly whimpering from the loss of contact. It was times like these when Damian wondered why the hell he stuck around with such an infuriating dork. Then he remembers it's because he's Jon: the sweetest, most gentle, and _hot_ young man in the entire universe. Doesn't make him any less annoying, though. 

____He spreads his toned legs wide, head tilting up to look at Jon. "That answer your question?"_ _ _ _

____Jon inserts his head in, and slowly thrusts into Damian's warmth, letting the older boy adjust to his width the best he could._ _ _ _

____"You're so beautiful when you're making noises for me Damian." Jon whispers, going in deeper. Damian's legs circled around Jon's hips._ _ _ _

____"You're so beautiful, grabbing at the sheets. When you're letting me inside you. You're perfect Damian." Jon coos, gently peppering kisses all over Damian's body.  
Not long after, Jon is at the root of his dick, fully sheathed inside of Damian. Jon gives a curious roll of his hips and Damian's moans echoed in the empty room._ _ _ _

____Damian moans every time Jon speaks, the words of praise going straight to his rock-hard dick._ _ _ _

" _O-oh~_ " he gasps as Jon's hips thrust in and out once. He clutches the sheets for dear life as Jon starts moving faster, hips pistoning back and forth deep inside him. 

" _Fuck_ Damian, you're so _tight_." Jon moans, eyes rolling to the back of his head, steadily increasing the pace of his thrusts. 

Jon grabs one of Damian's hands and interlocks their fingers together. Damian begins lifting his hips to meet Jon's every thrust. Jon has to bite down on his lip to quiet the noises coming out from his mouth. He needs to focus on _Damian's_ noises. What _Damian_ wants. Jon opens his eyes and stares into the dull jade irises of the older boy. Jon can feel his eyebrow furrowing as he tilts his hips, trying to find that spot that made Damian see stars. 

Damian _wails_ when Jon finds his sweet spot, eyes rolling and back arching desperately for _more_. He squeezes Jon's hand tight and lifts a shaky arm to wrap around his back, pressing down gently and inviting Jon to relax against him. 

Jon makes sure he keeps thrusting at the spot that made Damian _sing_ his name over and over. Like his name was a prayer. Jon kisses the crook of Damian's neck biting and sucking, placing a hickey there. 

____Jon feels a coiling in his gut, his hips involuntarily moving faster. Jon feels Damian squeeze his hand harder. He quickly glances at Damian's face and almost comes right there. Damian's eyes are screwed shut, completely slack jawed as he lets out a roaring moan. Jon moves faster as he lets out his own strangled moan._ _ _ _

____Jon reaches down with his free hand and strokes Damian's throbbing member._ _ _ _

"J- ah~~ JON!!" Damian cries out, bucking against his hands. If there was one thing that Jon could listen to for the rest of his life, he wants it to be Damian moaning his name like that. Completely blissed out.  
"Jon, I'm so, _fuck_ I'm _so_ close!" Damian arched, practically riding Jon's dick. 

____"Then come for me baby. Show me how beautiful you are."_ _ _ _

____Jon watches as Damian sucks in his lower lip and bites down as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Jon times his thrusts with the movements of his hand._ _ _ _

____"Come for me, Damian. Scream my name," Jon moans._ _ _ _

____Damian becomes slack jawed and his hip movements turn faster and irregular._ _ _ _

____ _ _

" _JON_!~" Damian cries, back arching as he comes. He keeps the position until the waves of pleasure disperse completely, collapsing on the bed with half lidded eyes and fuzzed out senses. 

____"Damian," Jon moans. And with that, the older boy came apart. Damian completely arches off the bed, pearly silver spouts of cum squirting all over Jon's hand and abs.  
Jon lets out a roaring moan as he comes, both boys riding each other through their high._ _ _ _

____Jon and Damian were heavily panting. Jon pulls out of Damian with a wet pop, tying up the condom and discarding it. He leans down to Damian and gives him a long kiss._ _ _ _

_______"You were amazing, Damian," Jon whispers while pulling away, smiling at the blush that spread over Damians cheeks._  
Jon gets up from the bed and his legs wobble violently. He regains his balance and runs a hand towel under warm water.  
When Jon returns to Damian, the older boy was practically asleep. Jon gives a low chuckle and he cleans Damian up, as well as himself. Jon throws the towel in a random part of the room as he lays down next to his boyfriend. 

____Damian’s chest is heaving from all the yelling and moaning he had done, but the breaths even out by the time Jon returns._ _ _ _

____He barely registers Jon's movement around the room, only moving when Jon slips into the bed next to him, wrapping his arms around Jon's bare torso tightly._ _ _ _

____"I love you, Damian." Jon whispers to his boyfriend with half lidded eyes._ _ _ _

____"Love you too, Jon," he mumbles, eyes falling shut._ _ _ _


	22. Loathing (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Consensual hate sex? Kind of?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn’t really a roleplay as much as a piece by Secret inspired by Zara.

"I can't BELIEVE I even let you come on missions any more, Kent." Damian rubs his temples, and leans back into his swivel chair he was slouching in.

"Oh, so you're saying this is all _my_ fault--? Yeah, okay _suuree_ but I'm not the one we insisted on pissing that witch lady off! " Jon crosses his arms and rolls his eyes, leaning against the wall.

"She wasn't going down without a fight, genius. I did what was necessary: YOU on the other hand, insulted her." He grumbles and receives a glare from Superboy, who slaps a hand to his forehead in exasperation.

"Ugh! Like _you've_ never insulted anyone, ever!"

"Fuck off!"

"You fuck off!"

" _MAKE ME._ "

They stare at each other for a good five seconds, maybe ten seconds, eyes fiery and fists clenched. But then mutually and at the same time, they launch themselves at each other, Jon shoving Damian back into the chair while his lips aggressively attack the elders, hands rising up to fist into Damian's hair as he breathes heavily from the sudden rush of lust and arousal.

Jon breaks the kiss and wipes the saliva off the corners of his mouth, half lidded eyes roaming over the body below him as he panted. Damian pulls him back down into another kiss, practically shoving his tongue down Jon's throat while he moans breathlessly, struggling to get the Robin cape off of Damian. Damian was already trying to get Jon out of the shirt he was wearing, eyes shut hard as their mouths slid together noisily. Jon gets the cape off and undoes the clasps to Robin's tunic, exposing his tanned chest, perfect for Jon to plant wet kisses on. So he does, and he sucks and lightly bites at the skin, showing Damian that he was wrong for ever arguing with him. Damian passively pants, lips red and puffy from all of the contact.

"Ah-!" He gasps out when Jon hits a soft spot, to which he spends his time on, nibbling and licking the tender skin as Damian squirmed and made pleasing noises from under his grasp. It sounded _incredibly_ hot.

Damian's jaw falls slack when Jon's lips and teeth tug at his earlobe, unable to do anything but make breathy moans, silently pleading for more. Jon lets up though, and drags his wet pink lips over Damian's cheek and teases at his lips that didn't quite give more kisses, and moreso hovered over the impatient boy's mouth. Damian whines and grunts, eyes opening to glare at Jon. He just smirks and starts to move away, but then Damian pushes the Kryptonian abruptly off of him, spinning him around and then shoving him down into the chair almost harshly. Jon stares wide eyed at the elder as he disappears for a second, seeming to be looking for something.

No less than a minute later, Damian is back looking over Jon, and he maneuvers to behind the chair, grabbing Jon's wrists. He pitifully 'tries' to squirm away, but the Robin only tightens his grip, leaning over the chair to kiss along Jon's jawline, to which he relaxes but fidgets into.

Jon couldn't see what Damian had in his hand, but he was pretty sure he know what it was, and his stomach flipped. His thoughts were confirmed when he feels a thick material being wrapped around his wrists, and after a minute of wrapping, he feels Damian tying the loose ends, then smirking at his work. He circles back around to face Jon, who was beet red and noticeably half-hard through his pants. Damian shrugs off his tunic, exposing his toned arms and abdomen, driving Jon _crazy_ , especially with how _damn tight_ Damian's tights were. He walks up to Jon and puts a leg on either side of the younger teen's lap cockily, scooting close so that their chests were almost touching. He smirks at Jon, because he could definitely feel his boner now, and he snaps his hips in a little downward motion, making his own little warmth in his abdomen present. Jon groans softly, teeth clenching and unclenching each time Damian grinds his hips down into Superboy's.

Wanting to make Jon as uncomfortable as possible, Damian brings his left hand up to Jon's mouth and gingerly separates the top and bottom jaw, hooking his thumb on the inside of his cheek so that Jon couldn't muffle the noises coming out of him. His eyes widen and Damian's smirk deepens, grinding down again and again rhythmically until Jon was whining loudly, arms struggling being tied behind the chair.

Damian licks his lips and slows his pace to an agonizingly slow rate, quickly being turned on by the oven hot tongue pressed against his thumb that hooked over Jon's bottom molars to hold his jaw in place.

"Dami p-please," Jon cries, midsection throbbing.

Damian looks questioningly at his 'best friend' and moves the digit in Jon's mouth to his bottom lip, pulling it down gently. Jon's cheeks were a crimson red and Damian was sure if he touched them, he would get _burned_ ; Jon was like a furnace. His emerald gaze lustfully lowers to Jon's lips and he thinks about kissing the damn soft flesh, but Jon starts to shift his legs, drawing his eyes back up to Jon's glazed blue ones that were blown wide.

"I just got these pants Dami, you're gonna make me--ah-" He twitches and bites his lip down hard, seeming to be concentrated with not losing himself to the pleasure.

"A perfect way to break them in, don't you think?" Damian whispers in a low husky voice that sounded almost serious. He hadn't even noticed that Jon's hips were rocking too, but in jagged motions like he was fighting himself. Damian moves his hand down and slips it into Jon's pants, palming his cock and-apparently-in just the right spot that made Jon wail out, thrashing his arms behind his back and thrusting his hips up again and again.

"Careful Jon. I think someone in _Metropolis_ heard you." Damian whispers in Jon’s ear, hot breath fanning across Jon's cheek. A shiver runs down his spine.

Jon was biting his lip so hard Damian was worried that he might draw blood. He stops biting down for a second, the puffy lip red and wet. Damian takes this opportunity and presses that spot again, and Jon moans just as loud, if not louder. It's enough to make Damian's head swim, and he lightly squeezes Jon's length. His head tips back in ecstasy as his mind just goes blank, and he feels himself kick and squirm a bit. Damian rides out his high, and uses his free hand to tangle into Jon's dark raven hair, tugging on the strands for dear life.

They both breathe heavily for a minute, and attempt to regain their bearings.

Suddenly, a loud _crack_ is heard and they fall to the floor, landing with a thud. Damian's eyes go wide and Jon winces, lifting his head up looking utterly spent and confused. The Robin pushes himself up off of Jon's chest, but Jon pulls him back down for a kiss, and he melts into it, Jon still burning up.

Jon pushes his burning forehead against Damian's.

"Dami."

Damian hums on Jon's bare chest (that may or may not be lined with hickies) eyes closed, relishing in his post orgasm high.

"I'm still tied to the chair." Jon gives a weak chuckle.

Damian's eyes snap open. "Oh shit! my bad!"


	23. Listen (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian goes out to fight R’as alone. This is the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CatchyArtz as Damian  
> desolationofzara as Jon
> 
> More angry sex lol

Jon slammed the window down flying into his shared apartment with Damian.  
"What the FUCK were you thinking?!"

Damian sat up from his position on the couch, turning his phone off with a click. He eyed Jon calculatingly, noting how his sky blue eyes were almost... dark. Damian’s not sure if it’s just because of the lighting or if there’s a _storm_ brewing in those eyes. The air is thick between them.

“Wow,” Damian drawled, testing the waters. “The sunshine boy cursed. What a miracle.”

Jon grit his jaw so tight he thought his teeth might break under the pressure.  
"What. The FUCK. We're you _THINKING?!_ " Jon repeated, hands balling into fists.

Damian shrugged, meeting Jon’s furious glare evenly. “I won, didn’t I?”

"I flew around the world _twice_! I couldn't hear your heartbeat, I was scared out of my freaking mind! I _told_ you not to face R’as alone!" 

Jon started to pace, flexing and clenching his hands, trying to release some of his anger. 

"What if you didn't win? Huh? How would I know?" Jon stopped pacing to stare down his boyfriend. 

“It doesn’t matter, ‘cause I _did_ ,” Damian muttered, looking away uninterested.

 _ohh I'm gonna kill him_ Jon thought.  
Jon quickly took a seat next to Damian and forced the older boy to look at him.  
"But if you _didn't_? What would I do, Damian? What would I do without my best friend? Without my partner? Without my _boyfriend_? You could've at least let me back you up!"

“Jon, it’s already done. I had it under control _as always_ , and you don’t need to worry. Alright?” Damian stood up and turned around without another glance back at his partner, beelining towards the door.

Jon screams internally, and superspeeds towards the door, slamming it with his outstretched arm. The older boy whipped around and glared at him. Damian's eyes were sharp and practically glowing. _They almost look like kryptonite._

Jon steeled himself, greeting his glare with his own. Jon felt himself towering over Damian.

"You're not always in control, Damian." Jon hissed, taking a step forward and touching their chests together.

Damian took a few steps back as Jon got in his space, back colliding with the door. He opened his mouth to fire back a quick retort, but the words caught in his throat when he realized how _close_ Jon was. There’s anger rolling off him in waves, and his eyes are now glowing as if there’s a fire in them.

 _Holy shit. Now might not be the best time, but Jon is_ hot _when he’s angry._

Jon forced himself to keep taking deep even breaths as he pressed himself against Damian. Right then, Damian's heart rate spiked and he squirmed against the door. It took all of his self restraint not to smirk.

"You're not always in control Damian." Jon repeated in a velvety tone, slowly lowering his face. "I can even prove it." He whispered, lips brushing against Damian’s earlobe.

Damian managed to keep in a moan, tilting his head away from Jon. “I’d like to see you _try_ , Kent,” Damian growled, bringing his hands up to shove against Jon’s chest roughly.

Jon felt Damian try and push him away. But he was faster. Jon grabbed Damian's wrists and pulled him into a bruising kiss. Damian completely melted against him, as if all the fire and fight was snuffed out just by his lips. Jon smirked and picked Damian up, forcing him to wrap his legs around his waist, walking them to their bedroom. 

Jon threw Damian onto the bed and zipped around the room to grab a few _things_ before Damian could see.  
He's going to _prove_ his damn point.

Damian props himself up on his elbows during Jon’s brief disappearance, chest heaving after that suffocating kiss. He waits passively, somewhat curious as to how exactly Jon would prove his point.

Jon crawled over a squirming Damian. Slowly, deliberately. He straddled his hips, slowly grinding on Damian's pelvis, enjoying the hisses and breathy moans that were coming out of the elders mouth.  
Jon stops moving his hips and almost laughs at Damian's soft whimper. He presses another kiss to Damian's lips; nipping and sucking at them. Jon narrowly dodged Damian's tongue trying to force his way into his mouth. He kissed red marks down Damian's jawline to his collarbone.

Jon extracted himself from Damian's collarbone and examined his work.  
"I had a little too much fun marking you up." He chuckled, pressing his lips against Damian's again.

Damian only let out a low growl as he trusted his tongue into Jon's mouth.  
Jon felt every part of his body shiver and Damian massaged and rolled his warm, wet, tongue around his own. Damian's hands splaying against his ass.

 _Stay focused, you have a point to prove_ Jon mentally chided himself.

Jon allowed Damian to take control of the kiss. He tugged on the front of Damian's shirt lightly, signaling him to take it off.

Damian moaned breathlessly, pressing his tongue needily into Jon’s hot mouth.

He obliges to Jon’s silent request for him to take off his shirt, bringing the hem of the shirt up and over his head and chucking the item of clothing to the side of the bed. He leans forward eagerly, chasing after Jon’s tender lips.

Jon sees Damian leaning forward to chase his lips, his eyes completely shut.  
_Gotcha._ he grinned wickedly. He takes out one of Damians silk ties from his pocket and wraps it around the older boys eyes, tying it in the back.

Damian’s hands flew up to his face as the silky fabric is wrapped around his eyes, effectively obscuring his vision. He feels in the back for the knot and growls, trying to untie it.

Jon laughs.  
"And what do you think you're doing?" he purrs, taking Damians hands into his own, peppering kisses across his face.

A grunt rumbled in Damian’s throat, and he allowed Jon to have his hands. Now, Damian had to guess where Jon’s next kiss will be and move his head so his lips will meet his own. After a few failed attempts, Damian leaned back, frustrated.

“Jon,” he said, annoyed.

"Damian." Jon practically giggled.

“Take this off,” Damian huffed, tugging his hands back in attempt to get them released.

"Why?" Jon smirked, deciding to place Damian’s hands on his hips as he undulated his hips against Damians boner.

“‘Cause I can’t see your beautiful face,” Damian says with a smirk, trying to win Jon over with flattery. He rubs Jon’s hips gently, fingering the skin beneath his waistband and enjoying the soft feeling.

"And I can't see your beautiful eyes, but you don't see me complaining." Jon replies evenly, feeling Damian’s warm fingertips on the skin of his hips. A wicked thought crosses Jon's head.  
He slowly unzips his Superboy jacket, letting the noise fill the room. His superhearing caught Damian’s breath catch in his throat.  
Jon cast the hoodie to the side, taking off his undershirt as well, letting it fall to the floor as loudly as it could.  
Jon took Damian’s hands in his, and slowly trailed them up his abs, and back down.

Damian’s breath hitches as his hands run up Jon’s skin. He lingers over Jon’s nipples for a little longer before continuing back down his abs.

Jon let go of Damians hands, letting him caress his body with one hand, and play with his nipples with the other. His heart hammered in his ears. Jon let out a loud moan when Damian trailed his hand down his chest, to his stomach, and grabbed at his own growing erection.

He saw a wicked smirk cross Damian’s face, as he tugged on Jon’s belt.

Damian gropes at Jon’s boner through his pants, a smirk spreading across his face as he moans loudly. He reaches up with one hand and tugs Jon’s belt purposefully, licking his lips.

“I’d undo your belt for you, but I can’t see what I’m doing,” Damian says, hands stilling momentarily.

Jon felt his face ignite at Damian’s comment. He roughly grinded against the tent in Damian’s pants and grinned when Damian moaned, _arching_ off of the bed.  
Jon took his belt off and quickly grabbed Damian’s hands, looping the belt around his wrists, and then tying them to the bedframe.

Damian groans when he feels Jon tying his hands to the bedframe, yanking against the leather insistently. He grunts, kicking at Jon halfheartedly. He’s now unable to move forward hardly at all.

"Should've been nice, Dami." Jon purrs, gently trailing his lips down Damians throat.

Jon stops rocking his hips against Damians, opting to slightly float above him. He traces feather light patterns into Damians abdomen with the tips of his fingers. Everytime Damian would move to lean into Jon's touch, he would withdraw completely, going for a small kiss on his sternum, or his lips. Jon relished in the grunts and groans escaping Damian.

"Do you like this Dami?" Jon teased, tracing scars on Damians muscular arms.

Damian flexes his fists in their restraints, unable to do much more than accept all of Jon’s gentle advances.

“I think I could do with a little bit more _speed_?” Damian suggests impatiently.

Jon chuckled, slowly laying himself on top of Damian.

"Patience is a virtue, _babe_."

Jon bit down on Damian’s pulse point in his neck and sucked. Jon felt Damian’s strangled moan before he heard it.  
Jon snickered, and trailed kisses down to Damians nipple, rolling one softly in his mouth, playing with the other one.  
Damian _thrashed_ under him.

Jon moved on from Damian’s chest and kept his kisses going southward, quickly stripping Damian of his pants. He kept kissing until he was at the waistband of Damian’s boxer briefs. 

Jon stilled for a moment, listening to Damian’s pants, straining against his restraint. He smirked and placed his tongue flush against Damian’s stomach and licked his way back up to his sternum.

Damian lets out a breathy moan, voice fluttering in his throat before being released into empty air. He bucks upwards blindly, attempting to find the friction he so desperately craved.

“ _Jon,_ ” he gasps, back arching.

Jon trailed his hand down Damian's abs, and let it linger over his throbbing member.  
"Say the magic words~" Jon smirked

“ _Please,_ ” Damian says after a brief moment of internal war, arching into the touch.

Jon deftly removes Damian’s boxers, and grabs the base of his shaft, flicking his wrist with expert movements. He smears precum around Damian’s head, smearing it down the sides. 

Feeling especially malicious, Jon lowers his lips to Damians head, licking at his slit.

Damian’s head falls back in ecstasy, moaning openly as Jon licks at his member as if it were a damn treat. He presses his lips together tightly to muffle the noises coming out of his mouth.

“Hmmm,” he hums as Jon’s tongue flicks over his head.

Jon completely withdraws from Damian. Partly due to the fact that he needs a condom and to get out of his tightening jeans, and partly because he wants Damian to _beg_ for him.

Damian whines as all the warmth draws away from him, straining against his restraints anxiously.

 _He better not leave me like this,_ Damian thinks murderously, wishing he had X-ray vision so he could see what Jon was doing.

Jon hears Damian’s whines as he floats to their nightstand, rummaging for a condom and some lube. He unzips his jeans and discards them, along with his boxers.  
He trails his hands slowly up Damian’s legs, deciding to rest them on his thighs.  
"How bad do you want me, Damian?" Jon teased.

“I _need_ you, Jon,” Damian murmurs, legs twitching a little from the feather light feeling of Jon’s touch. “Need you like I need air.”

"Really? Like you need air?" Jon asked, his tone turning husky. Jon trailed his hands up Damians body until they came to the sides of his neck, and squeezed softly.

"Still need me more?"

Damian’s mouth falls slack as Jon squeezes his throat lightly. Not strong enough so that any of his air is cut off, but it almost feels like a warning.

 _God, do it harder,_ Damian doesn’t beg.

Jon squeezed a little harder, "Do you, Damian?"

Damian gasps, back arching up off the sheets.

“ _Yes!_ ” he rasps, cock twitching.

Jon withdrew his hands, satisfied with Damian’s answer, also scared to death that he'll actually hurt him.

"Good answer, Damian," Jon whispers, letting his hands trail down Damian’s body to the base of his dick, squeezing lightly.

Damian falls into silence, mouth still hanging open slightly. He still can’t see and it’s driving him crazy, so he sighs heavily while tugging on the restraints.

 _Let me touch you, goddammit,_ he thinks furiously.

 

"Maybe I should give you a reward for it like the good boy you are." Jon rasped, wetting his lips.

Damian whines at Jon’s words, biting back a beg.

Jon watches Damian whine and tug against his restraints, writhing under him.  
He felt the slightly bit of sympathy for him, but quickly snuffed it out.  
_You're _winning_ this argument, Jon Kent._  
"What do you say Dami?" Jon asks seductively grinding his body against Damian’s.  
"Do you want me to reward you?" Jon whispers in his ear.

“God, yes!” Damian cries, hips shifting upwards to meet Jon’s. “ _Please!_ ”

 _FINALLY,_ he thought.

"And please you is what I’ll do," Jon smirked.

He rolled the condom on Damian and applied a generous amount of lube in his hand, slowly massaging Damian’s length.  
Jon’s eyes started to roll back, listening to Damian’s broken moans and pleas. He took a deep breath and slowly inserted Damian inside of him.

Damian practically _screamed_ , arching off of the mattress.

Jon balled his fists into the sheets and kept relaxing onto Damian until he was at the root of his dick.

Damian can’t help but let loose a few whimpery moans, the feeling of Jon’s tight hole taking his length making his head swim with arousal. Jon’s warmth clenches around Damian’s dick and he moans again, legs shifting impatiently.

Jon splayed his hands across Damian’s chest and gave a curious roll of his hips. Jon wanted to watch Damian’s reaction. He was already so beautiful, brown skin contrasting with the white sheets, muscles straining against his restraint, his lips red and swollen from biting them, and hickies lining all down his neck and chest to show the world that he was _Jon's_.

 _I’d probably come on the spot if I saw his eyes._ Jon thought, speeding up his movements.

Damian wails as Jon rocks forward on his dick, the pressure and warmth causing arousal to pool in his abdomen. He gasps as Jon begins rocking more steadily, strangled moans escaping his parted lips.

"Mmmmm Damian." Jon hummed.  
"I love the way you fill me. I love the way you scream my name." he said, watching his love wail and writhe under him.  
Jon observed a red blush spread across his face.  
"Be a good boy and scream my name when you come." he taunts.

Jon quickened the pace of his hips, "You look so beautiful like this Damian." he let out a breathy moan.  
"moaning for me, _begging_ for me. Arching off the bed like that. You're amazing." 

Jon watched as Damian’s blush spread across his face, down to his neck.  
_How cute_.

“Jonathan,” Damian moans lowly in response to his dirty talk. He lets go of his pride for a moment in order to please Jon further, letting loose his moans without smothering them at all. They come out as short gasps and whines, punctuated by Jon’s thrusts.

The darkness caused by the tie around his eyes infuriates and arouses him all at once. On one hand, he wants to see how Jon looks riding his dick. On the other hand, this was incredibly _hot_.

He tugs on the belt fastening his wrists to the headboard for the umpteenth time and surprise- it doesn’t budge.

Jon shifted his hips and grabbed the headboard, next to Damian’s hands, angling himself in a different position.  
He thrusted down on Damian’s length and hit his bundle of nerves that made him see _stars_.

"Aahh~" Jon moaned wantonly, trying to bury the sound into the crook of Damian’s neck.

Damian arched into him, as Jon continued his thrusts.

" _Damian_ ," Jon moaned again, but this time, right into his ear.

Damian can only whimper as he hears Jon's noises, wanting desperately to kiss him. He nuzzles the side of Jon's head gently, trying to get him to turn so he could connect their lips.

Jon's vision swam and spun behind his closed eyelids, a tight coiling clenching in his abdomen.  
_Fuck I'm gonna come soon_  
Jon pressed his lips onto Damian's, prying his mouth open and moaning into the kiss.  
He undid the knot behind Damian's head, slowly removing the tie.  
Jon pulled away and Damian blinked up blearily at him.  
"I want you to see me like this. Riding you into the mattress. I want to see the look in your eyes as you shed the last of your control before you come, screaming my name." He whispered huskily into Damian's ear, planting kisses on his jaw.

Damian responds to the kiss eagerly and winces slightly as the blindfold is taken off, the sunlight filtering in through the bedroom window sharply contrasting with the previous darkness he was in. His eyes adjust quickly though, and soon he can finally see his boyfriend in all his glory, red face, messy hair, and all.

A dark shade of red coats Damian face at Jon's remark, and he can feel himself getting closer and closer to release.

Jon sees Damian's eyes roll back and he sucks in his bottom lip, which was so incredibly _sexy_. But he knew that meant that Damian was so close.  
Jon increased the pace of his hips and clenched down on Damian. 

_Cum for me baby._ Jon repeated in his head like a mantra, Damian's moans and wails spurring him on.

Damian arches into Jon one last time before a burst of warmth shoots through his erect length. His vision blurs as he comes buried deep inside Jon, and moans his name loudly as they both ride out their orgasm, thrusting into each other while panting heavily.

Jon felt Damian arch into him.  
"J-JON~!" Damian cried out, his hips thrusting at an erratic speed as he came.  
Jon felt his head swim as Damian hit the perfect spot with every thrust. Jon's jaw went slack as he moaned wantonly as he climaxed, spilling onto himself and Damian, riding out their highs. 

Jon flopped down next to Damian, their chests heaving.  
After catching his breath, he walked, and stumbled several times, to the bathroom to fetch a towel to clean Damian off with. 

Jon returned to find a slowly blinking Damian, trying to fight off sleep. Jon gently wiped him down, took off the condom, tied it and flicked it into the trash can.

"Missing some thing beloved?" Damian smirked, his eyes still closed. Damian tugged at the belt that held his arms up.

"Mmm nope. Seeing how i'm still mad at you." Jon said smugly, grabbing his clothes and dressing himself. 

Jon tried not to burst out laughing at Damians eyes popping back open.

"But we had-!"

"Angry sex. Not make up sex. And honestly, i'm thinking about keeping you tied up until I'm ready to forgive you for make up sex." Jon replied evenly., walking out of their shared bedroom.

“Jon! _Jonathan!_ ” Damian calls to his boyfriend as he exits, yanking on the belt. “I’m naked! What if someone walks in? JON!!”

Jon stifles a laugh with his hand and expertly throws a pillow cushion at Damian, landing in his lap.

Damian slumps back against the mattress, exasperated. “>tt<“

~ 0 ~

Damian tries and fails for 20 minutes to get out of the belt.  
_How the _hell_ did Jon tie this stupid fucking thing?!_  
"So let me get this straight," Jon says, not even _trying_ to hide the amusement in his voice.  
Damian's blood boiled.  
"You can break out of a locked vault, in a straight jacket with chains all around you, at the _bottom of Gotham Bay_ , but you can't get out of that?"  
Jon leaned against the bedroom door, hair messier than ever, eyes sparkling with mirth, lips still swollen, shirtless with gray sweatpants hanging low off his hips, practically glowing in his post orgasm, and a tray of food in his hands.  
_Beautiful_ Damian thought, but immediately expelled it from his head.  
"It seems so." Damian ground out.  
Jon just chuckled and placed the tray full of breakfast food on Damian's night stand, undoing the belt gently, releasing Damian's wrists.  
Damian sighed and rolled out his shoulders, happy to get some blood flow back to them. 

Damian watched as Jon circled around the bed to his side and flopped down on his back. 

"Does.... This mean.... I'm forgiven?" Damian asked cheekily, grinning at Jon.  
Jon's eyes flicked up to him giving him a hard glare, the sparkle no longer evident. The older boy only sighed and laid down next to his boyfriend.  
Damian wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch Jon, to curl up next to him, to listen to his heartbeat as he fell asleep, wrapped in his warmth and smell.  
Jon wasn't _mad_ per say, but he sure as hell wasn't happy.

"Jon, I... I'm sorry." Damian whispered, rolling on his side to face him.  
Jon turned his head to stare Damian in the eyes too. He was relieved, but unnerved by the unreadable blue that took up his vision.  
"I'm sorry. What I did was reckless and I should have waited for you. But.... But I can't- I didn't want you getting hurt. Especially not by my grandfather." Damian spoke louder this time, the urge to touch the boy laying next to him stronger than ever.  
"I much rather be the one getting hurt than you." Damian concluded, gently placing the palm of his hand on Jon's cheek. 

Jon's eyes hardened, but he reached his arms out allowing Damian to curl into his warmth. 

Damian clung to Jon, curling against his chest, wrapping an arm behind his back so the two were practically flush against each other. 

Jon wrapped an arm around Damian's shoulders and placed his chin on Damian's head; running his fingers through Damian's sweaty, inky, locks.  
"That's not something you get to decide, Damian." Jon mumbled. 

"I know, I just..." Damian trailed off. 

The two of them stayed like that for what seemed to be an eternity. Jon running his fingers through Damian's hair, and Damian listening to the calming beat of Jon's heart. 

"I love you, Jonathan." Damian whispers, curling further into his boyfriend.

Jon kissed the crown of Damian's head. "I love you too. But we're a team. No more running off trying to protect me. We work together."

"You have my word, habibi." Damian yawned.

"Sleep well, Little Prince. I'll see you when you wake up." Jon whispered pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

Damian felt his cheeks warm, and a small smile stretch his lips as his eyes fluttered closed. 

"Totally won this argument tho." Jon grinned above him. 

"Shut up and go to bed." Damian snarled, Jon's laugh vibrating against him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inconsistent tense because Catchy didn’t want to edit her replies pfft


	24. Fear (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian is hit with fear toxin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catchy as Damian  
> secretlyaspeedster as Jon

Crystal clear nights are a rarity in Gotham. It’s almost always so gloomy. 

 

Jon guesses that’s when he should have known something was off.

 

The Superson’s night had been going completely fine. They’d made their way down to the Narrows to follow what the GCPD deemed  to be a ‘dead end’ case about stolen tech from a local research facility.

 

Jon didn’t know that when he and Damian stepped into the abandoned, sketchy looking warehouse that silent alarms were triggered, poisonous gas starting to sift through the air vents of the shiver worthy space. 

 

Damian was currently sifting through old files and switching between his tablet to figure out just what this place was..

 

“Damian,” Jon croaks out, trying not to sound too on edge. “I keep hearing the ventilation system. This place is abandoned..” He whispers nervously.

 

Jon’s attempt at hiding the fear in his voice was pitiful. “If you’re gonna complain about the ‘scary’ noises the building’s making, at least help me look through these files,” Damian grumbles, not even turning around to look at his partner.

 

With his superhearing, Jon can start to hear more creaks above and to the sides of them within the walls. He doesn’t like it one bit, and meanwhile all of his mind is telling him that Damian needs to actually listen to him.

 

“Dami, I’m being serious,” Jon firmly but not harshly grabs the Robin’s left shoulder, spinning him to face Jon. “Listen.” Jon whispers again, looking at him with serious, striking blue eyes.

 

Damian’s eyes narrow from behind his domino as Jon turns him around, but he doesn’t make a move to lash out. Jon sounds serious for once, so he stills and listens.

 

There were small, hardly noticeable creaks coming from all around them-- long and drawn out. Almost to the point of being a constant noise. They didn’t sound like the natural settling of a building, but how could it be anything else?   
  
“Can you see anything with your supervision?” Damian asks as Jon’s hands fall away from his shoulders.

 

Jon’s irises flicker around, lighting up some in the dim light of the yellow bulbs overhead of them. He points the the wall furthest from them, a rusty old wall that had dents and scratches in it. It just unsettled Jon even more. 

 

“I see..” Jon squints some, looking at three large tanks. “Septic tanks?” He starts to walk over, then lifts his feet so he could easily glide through the air. “Hmph. They don’t look like septic tanks. Must be really old models..” he mumbles. 

 

“And? Why is that important?” Damian presses further, the creaks beginning to unsettle him as well. Not that he’d ever let Jon know.

 

After a few more seconds inspecting the wall from a respectable distance, Jon floats back to Damian, trying not to get annoyed with the boy. “It’s just.. it looks like it’s running. It shouldn’t be doing that, my da—“ He stops short. The Super tenses and looks sternly at Damian. “You can’t tell me you  _ don’t _ hear that noise now. It’s coming from the vent system.” Jon crosses his arms over the S on his chest.

 

“I hear it,” Damian snaps. “Whoever is here- if they even  _ are  _ here- knows we are too. So we just have to look for them before they can get to us.”

 

Jon looks at Damian through the domino for a few more good seconds, then nods, barely. “Okay.” He sighs, returning to look around. He flies up to the rafters above, landing steadily on a patch of rust on the center beam. “But I don’t  _ see _ anyone.. that’s the problem..” 

 

“>Tt<,” Damian tuts. “Useless as usual…” He lifts his wrist and a screen appears just above it. With a few clicks, the computer runs a scan of the building. Nothing. 

 

“Hm,” he grunts. He hears Jon stop moving on the beam, his breath seizing in his throat. “What is it  _ now? _ ” Damian exhales dramatically.

 

“I-I don’t hear it anymore.. it’s.. gone.” Jon brings a hand up to his ear, a slightly different ringing staring up in them. It’s low, but present. After a few seconds the ringing starts to increase in volume and it’s reminding him of some sort of  _ extreme  _ frequency test.  

 

Damian peers up at Jon and his face screws up. “Jon, what are you  _ doing? _ ” he asks, agitated. “You’re being weirder than normal tonight—“ 

 

Jon pulls his hand away, a trickle of red running down the side of his jaw and hand. He almost shrieks, but a broken gasp comes out instead. 

 

“What the hell-?  _ What the hell _ ?” He turns to Damian, eyes wide in horror. Jon can’t hear what Damian’s saying anymore, the Robin’s usual stoic expression falling when his eyes follow to the scarlet liquid falling from the Kryptonian’s outstretched hand onto the beam below Jon’s sneakers.

 

Jon’s ears feel like they’re going to  _ explode _ . 

 

Damian quickly figures out what’s going on. There’s some high pitched sound playing at a frequency too high for himself to hear. But for Jon— it must be  _ painful _ . He looks incredibly panicked at the sight of his own blood, so used to being invulnerable all the time.

 

“Jon?” Damian says, keeping his voice level. “Jon, can you hear me?”

 

As Jon’s eyes madly dart around, the sound—this  _ sound.  _ Jon never knew something like this existed. His school fire drills weren’t this bad. Nowhere near the amount of  _ pain _ this high pitched fire truck horn in his brain was causing. Blaring. Jon can’t even think straight, eyes shutting in response to the sharp pain, tears forming at the edges.  

 

His eyes shoot back open, faintly remembering that Damian is also in the warehouse with him. Damian seemed to be fine, trying to talk to him. “I can’t hear you!” He screams roughly, realizing right after that it probably broke the silence in the room for Damian’s ears.

 

Damian winces in response to Jon’s loud scream. He can’t do anything but watch as Jon’s expression twists more and more into one of pain, wishing he’d brought some kind of noise canceling ear pieces.

 

_ Well… I suppose hands are the next best thing, _ he thinks while taking Jon’s hands in his own to bring them up to his bleeding ears.  _ Probably won’t help much, but at least it’s something. _

 

Robin brings up his wrist computer again. The high frequency noise seemed to be coming from the back of the warehouse, where Damian was once facing while he was searching the file cabinets. He turns and runs another scan. Still nothing.

 

_ A dead end… _

 

Suddenly, a feeling churns in his gut. A far more familiar feeling than he’d like to admit.  _ Fear _ . For a moment, Damian is very confused. He was feeling mostly fine just a second ago and now— now it feels like he’s on some sort of fear gas. _ Fear gas. _

 

_ Fuck,  _ is his first thought before the hallucinations begin.  _ Fuck, Jon will see me- shit. Shit shit shit— _

 

He takes a deep breath and tries to hold on to reason as his surroundings warp around him.

 

Jon thinks the ringing stops, and he can just hear the echoes in his head. His eyes open, trying not to get sick to his stomach from  _ his blood _ that covered his palms and the side of his cheeks.  _ Damian just..? Wait where did he just-  _

 

“Damian!?” Jon almost yelps. He whips around and sees Damian stumbling backwards until he slams into the desk and knocks over multiple stacks of files. Jon rushes over and grabs onto his shoulders to steady him. “Dami, what’s wrong?” Jon asks, looking around. He didn’t even hear what happened.  _ what happened? _

 

It’s dark. Even darker than the falling apart warehouse, and the walls are high and narrow and flames from torches lick the cold stone on either side of Damian. All reason and logic is gone as soon as he sees his grandfather sitting a few feet ahead, Talia standing just behind. He can’t see her face.

 

Ra’s stands slowly and steps forward, causing Damian to backpedal into a wall. Ra’s comes closer and takes a hold of Damian’s shoulders, not allowing him to crumble to the floor as he surely would’ve if not for his firm grip.

 

“Grandson,” Ra’s drawls, voice deep and familiar. “You should not have run away. The League has grown just as I had envisioned, and all who have not surrendered to us have been slaughtered. Now we have no choice but to kill you as well.”

 

There’s a horrified, disgusted look in Damian’s eyes, Jon could tell even through the domino. Jon hasn’t seen him like this in awhile. No, he hasn’t seen Damian this bad.. ever. 

 

“Damian, please, it’s me, Jon. It’s Jon—“  _ What the heck is going on why won’t he move??  _ “We have to go Damian.. I don’t understand what’s going on with you, we have to go.” Jon looks at Damian’s wrist, and thinks he could probably contact someone through it. Jon looks back up at Damian, who started to mumble something he couldn’t understand.

 

“Did—“ Damian starts anxiously. “Where’s Jon?” Something in the back of his mind was telling him he had just seen Jon, although he had no idea where he was now.

 

“Dead. Just like everyone else,” Ra’s says with a sneer.

 

“No. I just saw him— I can feel it.”

 

“You can  _ feel _ it? It seems Batman has poisoned your mind more severely than I thought.” Ra’s hands shift slightly on his shoulders. “Feelings mean nothing, Damian. Even now I can see the way fear has you frozen—  _ helpless _ .”

 

Ra’s reaches for his wrist suddenly, and Damian’s instincts kick in immediately, blocking his grandfather’s prying fingers from touching him and shoving him as far as he can away.

 

“Feelings make you  _ stronger _ . It took years of spending time with my friends for me to learn that.”

 

Jon’s blue eyes go wide when Damian suddenly  _ shoves  _ Jon away, and his mouth drops open as he nearly falls to the ground. He was speaking incoherently, angrily. As if he was in a dream..

 

_ Holy shit—he got hit with fear toxin. _

 

From the stories Jon’s heard, fear toxin is no ones business. The most fearless man could get the toxin his system and weep like a child. Now it was in Jon’s friend. He needs to get Damian home without Damian hurting him or himself.

 

But then Damian was marching up to Jon, and Jon freezes. He doesn’t have any idea what to do. He wasn’t ever.. taught about how to deal with someone hit with this gas. Damian yells something in Arabic and Jon cringes when the Robin starts to lunge at Jon. He dodges easily with his speed, and lifts into the air. How does he need to go about this..? He needs to get Damian to the manor. But what if he ends up accidentally hurting Damian? 

 

Damian lunges at Ra’s who dodges easily.

 

“You don’t have any friends, Damian. Not really. After learning everything you’ve done, they’d never want anything to do with you.”

 

“They don’t know what I’ve done,” Damian says bitterly. “That life is behind me.”

 

“All these years and you still haven’t told them?” Ra’s presses, lips curling into a wicked smile. “How do you think they feel about that? The Teen Titans dedicated themselves to you as their leader. They trust you— and you can’t even tell them your name.”

 

Jon wonders if he keeps talking then it would only make things worse for Damian. The teens green eyes are angry and directly staring at Jon.. he can only imagine what the Robin was seeing in that moment. 

 

“What do I do, what do I do?” Jon mumbles, looking around for  _ anything  _ he could use to tie up Damian’s wrists so that he couldn’t thrash around too much. Jon decides that flying Damian to the manor would be the best bet, especially since his options are currently very limited. 

 

_ There are zip ties and string in Damian’s utility belt..  _

 

“Damian,” Jon starts slowly floating back down to his partner. “Your belt, I need your belt.”

 

“Enough,” Damian says, stance wide. “Where the hell is Jon?”

 

“ _ Dead _ , boy. Why can’t you understand?” Ra’s says, walking forward from where Damian had pushed him. “The only one who truly trusted you, dead. You couldn’t protect him.”

 

“Stop lying to me. He’s  _ not _ dead.”

 

“Oh? Then who’s this?”

 

The faceless Talia who had disappeared momentarily— Damian hadn’t even noticed— came walking back in with the hem of Superboy’s cape in her hand. She tosses the limp boy across the narrow hall right in front of Damian.

 

Jon’s skin is a sickly pale color, and his normally crystal blue eyes were fogged over implying that he was long gone. His suit was tattered and ripped in multiple areas, as if he had received a beating before being relieved of his pain.

 

Damian can’t breath for a few seconds. Jon is  _ dead _ . His best friend and partner is dead.  _ How could this have happened right under my nose? _ Damian kneels down slowly and touches Jon’s face. Cold. He had definitely died a while ago, so there was no saving him now.

 

He can’t-- he can’t even  _ think  _ with the knowledge of his best friend being gone. So he kneels there in shock, mind empty. And then… And then he can feel tears brimming in his eyes. He doesn’t try to stop them as they fall down his cheeks and land on Jon’s suit. Something in his heart wrenches, and he finally manages to tear his eyes away from Jon’s battered body.

 

_ I’m going to  _ kill  _ Ra’s. _

 

Superboy watches his partner sink down to his knees and Jon goes down with him. Jon’s so confused, and can’t even clearly read the expression on Damian’s face. Fear had been replaced by sadness and grief. 

 

“Damian—“ His green glove reaches out and brushes across Jon’s cheek. Tears started spilling out of Damian’s eyes and Jon gasps in surprise.  _ What’s going on? What’s he seeing? _

 

“Damian it’s okay, I’m  _ here _ ,” Jon says in an useless attempt to calm the boy down. Damian looks away from him suddenly and Jon reaches slowly again for Damian’s utility belt. A new thought occurs to Jon that in this hallucination, Damian could very well start attacking him and that would be a whole other problem in itself. Before his fingers could even get around the yellow compartments, Damian moves away and throws a punch at Jon. He ducks just in time, staring up at Robin, tears streaming down his cheeks.

 

Damian throws a punch at Ra’s, who ducks and just stands there, almost as if he were mocking him. He growls and leaps at Ra’s again, punching and kicking furiously and much faster than he’d usually be able to in attempt to connect just one blow.

  
One of his kicks hits Ra’s directly in the stomach and he goes spiraling away. Damian exhales sharply, a few more tears escaping his eyes. He takes off his domino as it begins fogging up and takes a few swift steps forward, grabbing Ra’s by the neck.   
  
“No more,” Damian breathes, eyebrows furrowed in anger. “I won’t let you hurt anyone anymore.”

 

“Da—oof!” Jon exhales sharply as Damian places a kick to his stomach after a few of his attempts and as he starts to get up he’s seized by Damian, his hands around his neck.

 

“Damian  _ stop! _ ” Jon yelps, legs thrashing. He reaches his hands up and grabs both of Damian’s wrists then hooks his leg around Damian’s left calf and knocks him to the floor as easy as he could. With one hand Jon keeps a firm hold onto Damian’s wrists and with the other he fumbles to get the utility belt off of him. “I know you can’t understand me, but I’m trying to help you!”

 

Damian hisses as he’s thrown to the floor, and scrambles to get up before Ra’s could reach him. Too late. Ra’s keeps him down with one hand on both of his wrists, and searches his utility belt.

 

_ What is he doing…? _ Damian thinks, briefly puzzled. Then it hits him. He has zip ties in one of the compartments on the yellow belt. As soon as he figures that out, he brings a knee up to Ra’s torso. It hits around his ribs and Damian grins when Ra’s yelps in pain.

 

Damian flips them over, then reaches for a zip tie and tightens it around Ra’s wrists. He relaxes slightly. He’s at a huge advantage now.

 

Dazed from the knee to Jon’s rib cage, he doesn’t realize right away when Damian zip ties his wrists together. Jon is somewhat relieved, because now he knows it’s not  _ him  _ that Damian is fighting—Damian probably would have pulled out kryptonite if he wanted to tie up Jon. 

 

Jon flexes his wrists and the plastic breaks easily. Jon sees Damian freeze for a second, most likely confused about how whoever he was fighting could break free. He takes that time to snatch the zip ties back and gets them around Damian’s wrists just in time. Damian starts yelling and screaming violently, cursing at him and thrashing madly. Jon holds down his shoulders, heart breaking a little.

 

_ What the f u c k _ , Damian thinks as Ra’s snaps the zip tie easily. He’s so stunned he’s unprepared for Ra’s counter attack, and lets loose a string of curses and he’s forced down and zip tied instead.

 

“Umm..” Jon bites his lip, thinking for a moment. “..Call manor!” He shouts, hoping there would be something that Damian had on him that was voice activated. Nothing. “Uh—oh! Call Batman!” Nothing again. “Call Oracle?” He says unsurely. 

 

An AI’s voice repeats ‘Calling Oracle. Connecting to Oracle.’

 

“Robin?” Comes Barbra’s voice. 

 

“Oracle!” Jon sighs in relief. “Oracle I need help— _ Robin _ needs help. Tell Batman or Alfred or..or anyone that we’re coming back to the manor!” Jon says hurriedly, picking Damian up carefully despite his thrashing.

 

“Superboy,” Barbra corrects herself. The sound of rustling fills the line. “I’m on it. Is Damian okay?”

 

Jon grunts as Damian punches his back, more streams of curses being directed at him. “He’s.. He’s been hit with fear toxin, I’m almost 100% sure. He’s angry and scared.” Superboy uses his lasers to make an easy exit through the roof and shoots up into the air, keeping a tight grip on Damian as he does so.

 

“Okay. Thanks for letting me know, Jon. Alfred is aware you’re coming and will be waiting outside,” Barbra says. “If anything happens, let me know!” The line beeps once then disconnects.

 

Damian is confused and  _ scared beyond belief  _ as Ra’s steps back and the roof above them crumbles. Then he’s flung up suddenly, and the League’s base grows smaller and smaller as Damian ascends. He screams, unsure if he’s going to fall or keep flying until he can’t breath.

  
He discovers it’s neither, at least not yet, as the ascension evens out to a steady glide through the air. But it’s dark and cold and a strong wind cuts right through Damian, causing him to shiver slightly.  _ Where am I going now…?  _

 

It was probably isn’t the best idea to use his super speed in the air while the unpredictable factor of Damian Wayne is in Jon’s arms, but he needs to get Damian home as quick as he can. 

 

The crisp, unforgiving Gotham air stings at Jon’s cheeks and tassels his hair. He hugs Damian as close as he can without hurting him and his heart lifts when he sees the manor come into view. “Almost there, almost there, just hold on..” He whispers, the words being carried away immediately by the howling wind.

 

Damian searches the earth below as it morphs into a usual night in Gotham, dread filling his gut. Something else was coming. This relief high above the city was too good to be true.

 

As the surroundings grow familiar, Damian can make out a harsh glow in the distance where the manor would usually be. It’s on fire. The manor is on fire, and Damian needs to  _ get down immediately, dammit _ \--

 

“Whoa, no, Damian stop acting like you’re gonna let go. We’re almost there—“ Jon grunts, shifting Damian so that he can’t fall. 

 

The manor is close now, and Jon descends quickly but carefully. He huffs out a long sigh as his sneakers touch the grass. He shifts Damian once more so that he can carry him bridal style. 

 

“Master Jon!” Alfred calls and Jon whips towards the front entrance of the mansion. He starts to run to Alfred, and out behind him come Dick and Tim. They both have concerned but relieved expressions, a little bit calmer now that their baby brother arrived home. Jon eases Damian over, noticing that his eyelids started to droop as if he wanted to get to sleep. “Thank you,” Alfred says and rushes them all inside towards the secret entrance to the batcave. 

 

When they arrive down in the dark cave, Bruce and Jason are already waiting for them, sorting through syringes and chemical mixes. The boys set Damian on a cot, and start hooking him up to the machine that reads his vitals. Jason takes off Damian’s cape and boots, letting them drop to the floor. Jon watches Alfred take a syringe that’s Bruce hands him and injects it into Damian. The boy stops struggling altogether, heart rate starting to slow to a more normal pace.

 

Jon feels bad for standing around, but doesn’t want to get in their way. He eyes Tim, the former Robin starting to get to work on his computer, checking Arkham and any files that relate to the case that the Super Sons were following. He starts to walk over to Tim but then changes his direction and pass over to Damian, asleep now. Alfred was injecting a separate syringe contents into him, and Jon guesses that to be the antidote to the fear toxin. Once Alfred disposed of the empty syringe, he stands beside Jon and looks over the sleeping Robin. 

 

“He may look peaceful, but Master Damian’s dreams will still be fuller with horrors enhanced by the toxin still in his system.” The butler sighs.

 

“B-but.. he’ll be fine though.. won’t he?” Jon worries his lip, noticing how Damian’s fingers twitch every so often. 

 

Alfred nods slowly. “Physically, He is strong. But even the most mentally sound beings are still bested by the fear. I have no idea what he will endure..” He says gravelly, then rests a gloved hand on Jon’s shoulder. “Thank you once again, young Master Jonathan. It could have been a thousand times worse if you had not been there.” 

 

“He’s my partner,” Jon says quietly, a claw forming over his heart. “I’ll always be there to protect him. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”

-

Damian looks around. He seems to be in a cave but definitely not the bat cave. Everything has a weird orangish tint to it, the air thick with what Damian guesses to be smoke. He tries to sit up but can’t move but a few inches off of the ground. The ash covered ground, littered with bones.  _ Where.. am I?  _

 

He can hear the crackle of fire all around him but can’t see anything really.. it’s dark except for the weird orange light. There are lanterns along the walls of the cave. Damian suddenly hears a sick cackle in the dark and it sends shivers down his spine. He tries to move his wrists but is immediately met with a burning sensation and he cringes. 

 

“Who’s there?” Damian calls out, voice hoarse. There isn’t any response except a rock that falls from the ceiling. Stalagmites lines the roof of the cave, and he follows them all the way until he sees a new light in the cave. There’s a shadow of a tall figure, and Damian can feel his heartbeat starting to pick up. “Who’s there!?” He shouts, demanding an answer. 

 

Instead, out steps the figure into the dim orange light, long cape trailing behind them mysteriously. Their eyes are sharp and a dangerous gree, scanning over Damian. 

 

“The new Ra’s. I, Damian al Ghul am the new Demon Head.” The figure says.  _ He _ says. But he didn’t seem to be talking to Damian on the ground. He’s talking to someone behind Damian.

 

“You’re  _ my son _ Damian!” Bruce shouts, his voice sounding strained. “They’ve twisted your mind and  now you’ve reverted back to what they are. You’re a monster again!” 

 

Damian’s heart sinks, the blood draining from his face when he sees himself unsheath a golden katana, the blade glowing in the light of the cave. 

 

“Stop!” Damian yells, but only for deaf ears. Nothing changes. 

 

“I’ve always been an al Ghul. I’ve always been this way. I never changed. People don’t change.” He growls, the sharp blade of the sword dragging against the cave floor and unsettling the ash lying on the ground. It begins to fill the room, and Damian starts to cough, breathing in the flecks as well as smoke. 

 

“No, you weren’t always like this.” Bruce states.

 

“Really? Because my bloods lust never went away. The rage, loathing, and conflict  _ never _ subsided. Not fully. It was only a matter of time before I.. snapped.”

 

_ It’s only a matter of time before I snap. _

_ No. _

_ It’s only a matter of time before I snap. _

_ No! _

_ It’s only a matter of time before I snap. _

_ No! No no no! _

 

The sickening sound of blade meeting flesh pierces the air in the worst way possible and Damian thrashes wildly. He can hear the blade being driven further into his father, and now Damian can’t even scream. He can only gape like a floundering fish, the sound of blood spilling onto the cave floor amplifying in his ears. 

 

“At least I can accept it.” The hallucination Damian smirks, laughing sickly under his breath, the sound ringing in Damian’s ears. 

 

He can’t breathe anymore, the smoke and ash and blood are suffocating him and all he can see are the walls around him, blood filling and covering everything in the room until all Damian can see was red-

 

“ _ DAMIAN!” _ A deafening scream allows him to rip from his invisible restraints and break through the sea of blood, gasping and gagging. 

 

“DAMIAN  _ NO!”  _ A boy’s voice screeches in the darkness, and Damian tries swimming towards it. “Please, NO!” The voice sobs.  _ Where are you?! _ Damian wants to call out, but his throat is cut, voice unable to function. He starts swimming in the direction he thinks he heard the sound come from. 

 

Suddenly, he’s dragged under the surface of the water, a single stream of light filtering into the red, murky liquid, illuminating…A boy.

 

_ Jon _ .

 

The black haired Kryptonian is sinking, barely any bubbles coming from his nose and mouth. Damian starts swimming through the bloody water over to him. It feels like he’s trying to swim with 50 lb weights attached to his arms and legs.

 

“You let him die, Damian.” 

 

The voices of his family boom in the water, and it’s getting progressively harder to keep himself from sinking.

 

“If you were there for him, he wouldn’t have been killed.”

 

“You never cared for him.”

 

_ Not true!!  _ Damian thinks, but his voice is unusable.

 

“You’re the cause of his death, you  _ demon _ .”

 

Damian stretches his arm out as far as he can and grasps onto Jon’s sneaker just barely. He yanks Jon to him and holds him in his arms. He wants to cry.. he wants to bawl but no tears are formed. 

 

“Damian.” Jon’s voice speaks. 

 

“Jonathan?” Damian whispers. 

 

“Why didn’t you save me? My mom and dad miss me, Damian, why didn’t you save me!” The boy’s words were laced in poison, and it stung Damian right in his heart.

 

“You couldn't have saved me, could you? Because you’re too weak!” Jon’s words hit like bullets, and Damian sobs, clutching onto the Super until his knuckles turn white.

 

“You aren’t a hero.” Jon’s voice levels to an icy cold calm. “You never were, and you never will be.” Then, the Super lets go, and Damian’s eyes widen. He’s sinking, and he can’t swim anymore, the water is filling his mouth and lungs and he can’t breath.

 

He hits the bottom of the body of water that he’s in and he lies there as voices of his father now yell at him, and Damian can only cry as he takes the hit of his words. 

 

“You’ll never be Batman.”

 

“You were better off with your mother.”

 

“You aren’t capable of love, and no one loves you!”

 

“You have too much Ghul in you.. you don’t deserve to live.”

 

“ _ STOP! _ ” Damian yells finally, eyes flying open.

 

He pants roughly, chest moving at the speed of his heart. Damian’s terrifies green orbs flicker around and he thinks he’s in the bat cave now. His hands clutch the sheets of the cot he’s in, and he notices IV’s that were in him. 

 

_ Am I  _ really  _ awake? _

 

“Damian? Are you awake now? Can you hear me?” A small voice just above a whisper asks to Damian’s right. Jon’s sitting there in a desk chair, changed out of his Superboy costume into a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. He looked slightly relieved despite the way he asked his question.

 

Damian releases a shaky breath at the sight of Jon, alive and still as beautiful as ever. He swallows and forces down the tears forming in his eyes. “Yeah.”

 

Jon’s shoulders lose some of the tension that had built up in them and he reaches his arm out and places a gentle hand on the Robin’s shoulder. He lightly squeezes gives him a small smile, heart aching as his friend’s green eyes turn glossy. 

 

“I’m glad you’re okay, Dami.” Jon reassures, voice barely above a whisper. Some part of him was still just trying to convince  _ himself _ that everything was alright even though Damian was right in front of him, mostly unharmed.

 

Damian swings his legs gingerly over the side of the cot and stands. The IV’s are pulled taut so he rips them out. “I better go. Father and the others are probably worried...“

 

Jon’s brows furrow and he looks as the IV’s fall to the floor. He looks back up at Damian. “They’re upstairs—Damian, lay back down, they said you need to rest.” Jon stands and runs a tired hand through his hair. 

 

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” Damian growls.  _ I swear, if Jon doesn’t let me leave— _

 

Jon doesn’t say anything for a second, confused by Damian’s annoyance. “You aren’t..  _ fine _ . You definitely weren’t fine earlier, and I don’t think you’re fine now.”

 

Damian bites back a retort and stares at Jon briefly before looking away. He probably saw  _ everything _ . All his reactions until he was put to sleep.  _ Damn. _

 

“Well, I feel just fine physically wise, so no reason to keep me in this room, hm?” Damian says in attempt to escape the confrontation.

 

“That doesn’t mean you’re okay  _ emotionally _ . Damian, I can’t pretend that I didn’t see you out there. I won’t.” Jon steps forward as he speaks. He tries to keep his voice from sounding like he was pleading. 

 

“Too bad, because  _ I will _ ,” Damian snaps. He was more than willing to shove Jon out of the way if he got too close, but for now he takes a small step backwards. The cot is directly behind him now.

 

Jon’s jaw sets. He takes a breath and takes another step forward calmly. “That’s not the way to deal with this.” Jon’s in Damian’s space now and he can feel the teen’s discontent but at the moment he doesn’t care. 

 

“Stop being so damn stubborn and just  _ talk.”  _ Jon says sternly and he shuts his mouth immediately in fear that he was being too harsh.

 

Damian was almost impressed. Kent was being intimidating.

 

“I don’t know how, Jon,” Damian states simply, eyes growing sad before becoming sharp once more. He puts his hand on Jon’s shoulder and pushes lightly. “Now get out of my way.”

 

Jon’s eyes widen slightly as Damian pushes him back—and because of his words. His mouth opens but he can’t exactly find words.  _ He’s being too difficult! If he would just talk to me.. I can help him. He just needs to talk to me. _

 

Jon steps back in front of Damian with purpose and states, “No.”

 

Damian sends a bat glare straight up at Jon. “You’re very lucky Alfred removed my belt, or there’d be Kryptonite in your  _ throat _ by now.”

 

“You don’t mean that.” Jon says levely even though his heart drops into his stomach. He knows Damian was just saying that because he was in a mood..that didn’t make it sting any less, though. “You don’t mean that and you know it.” He stares back down at Damian, meeting him with a glare of his own. 

 

“How do you have so much faith? How are you  _ so _ sure I don’t mean that, Kent?” Damian asks angrily.  _ Because even I don’t know if do or not. _ “What if I did?” he questions more softly.

 

Jon blinks a few times. “I.. I heard you out there. I heard you say something that gives me the notion that you wouldn’t.” He recalls suddenly. He couldn’t completely understand what Damian had been saying, his words hushed and almost sounding like gibberish.

 

Damian narrows his eyes. “And what would that be?”

 

“When you were first hit with the toxin, you.. you were talking to someone. A-and then they must have said something bad about me. You asked where I was. I was confused cause I was right there. But.. I think in your hallucination I was..” He trails off, searching Damian’s eyes and swallows down his assumptions. “Am I wrong?” He adds finally, quietly.

 

“...Fine, you’re right,” Damian admits bitterly, defensive walls rising. “Does it stoke your ego that the first thing the toxin took advantage of in my mind was you? Don’t flatter yourself. You were just the person in the room with me, don’t think you’re so special.”

 

Jon takes in a sharp breath. His body goes rigid and it’s like his mind just shatters. He has so many things he wants to say, to  _ scream _ . He wants to-

 

“ _ Screw you, Damian. _ ” He saves most of his breath and just says those three words, shoving the Robin back harshly as he does. He then turns away, eyes stinging and chest clenching tightly. He starts walking away before he can let Damian have the satisfaction of seeing him break down because of his words.

 

Damian’s eyes widen as he’s shoved back onto the cot. His heart twists in his chest and he’s frozen there, at a loss for words.  _ I’m sorry, _ he wants to say, guilt crawling it’s way up his throat as Jon turns to leave.

 

But for some reason, the words refuse to come out. So he just whispers his best friend’s name.

 

_ Just go, Jon. Keep walking, keep walking..  _ His mind tells him as his lip starts to quiver. He hears his name come from Damian’s mouth and freezes despite his mind telling him to just go home,  _ Damian doesn’t want me here anyways. _

 

“What, Damian.” Jon grits out, arms stiff at his sides. He was trembling, tears starting to cloud his vision.

 

“I’m sorry,” he manages, voice barely above a whisper.

 

Jon turns his head just enough to be able to look at Damian and he almost curses.  _ I’m sorry too. _

 

“Do you even  _ mean _ it?” Jon winces, a tear rolling down the side of his cheek. 

 

“I mean it. I just…” Damian hesitates, breath catching in his throat when he sees Jon is crying.  _ No matter what you do you’ll never be able to make Jon happy. He deserves better than you. You’re selfish. You want Jon to stay and care when all you do is hurt him.  _ Fears plague Damian’s mind and his hands tighten into fists on the cot. “You’re right for being angry. Y-you can leave if you want to.”

 

_ I don’t want to leave you _ . Jon thinks and wipes his tears away just to have more spill out of his glossy blue eyes.

 

“I-I just don’t unders-s-stand..  _ W-why would you s-say that to me?”  _ Jon says quietly, leaning against the wall to support himself. “It really hurt, Damian,” he adds, blinking through his tears to look at Damian.

 

“I don’t know,” Damian says, because he really doesn’t.  _ You hurt him you hurt him you hurt him _

_ You hurt him whenever he’s around you. _

_ You’re  _ poison.

 

And then Damian is crying too, and he doesn’t understand why he would say anything to hurt Jon either.

 

_ Now he’s going to think you’re taking advantage of him, crying like this right after apologizing.  _ So he wipes the tears from his eyes and wills them to stop, holding his breath.

 

“I —“ Jon chokes back a sob when he sees tears start to trickle down Damian’s cheeks. Jon didn’t mean for this to happen, he didn’t mean for any of this to happen..

 

He pushes himself from the wall and walks quickly back over to the cot and stands in front of Damian for an unsure second. He’s still angry, he’s still confused and he’s still hurt. But he reaches his arms out anyways for Damian, offering him Jon’s embrace.

 

Damian shakes his head stiffly as Jon walks over to him and kneels, arms out and offering a hug. He releases the breath he was holding and sucks in another one, the sound filling the otherwise silent room.

 

With his arms still outstretched, Jon’s shoulders shake with small sobs. “ _ Please.” _ The word forms in his throat and leaves his lips strained. He leans closer to Damian but doesn’t make any more advances.

 

Damian looks into Jon’s eyes, glossy with tears and pleading. He leans forward and lets Jon’s warmth swallow him up. His eyes close slowly and tired of holding his breath, he releases it and gasps for another, hiccuping slightly. He can feel Jon trembling with him and feels terrible knowing he’s the reason for that.

 

Jon presses Damian close to him, as close as he can. He sobs quietly as he clutches onto the back of  Damian’s shirt and bows his head, shaking it because he couldn’t will himself to calm down. He brings a hand up to Damian’s jet black hair and runs his hand through the strands to comfort him.  _ I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry… _

 

“I’m sorry,” Damian murmurs into Jon’s hair, echoing the boy of steel’s thoughts. He hugs him tighter and weeps, his tears darkening the fabric of Jon’s shirt.

 

“I know, I know. I believe you. I’m sorry I said I didn’t before..” He gets out, shutting his eyes tight and buries his face into Damian’s chest, muffling his continuous sobs. Damian’s earthy scent mixed with small traces of expensive cologne are calming to Jon. He loosens his grip on Damian’s shirt and rubs soothing circles over his back.

 

Damian sighs as Jon begins rubbing his back in a relaxing pattern, his sobs and hiccups subsiding slowly but surely.

 

After a good ten minutes, Jon takes in a good deep breath without it being seized away from him by another sob. He nuzzles into Damian, still holding him tightly like he would slip away from his grasp. “Do you feel better?” Jon asks with a sniffle.

 

“A-a little,” Damian replies, letting Jon cuddle into him. He brings the back of his hand to his tear-stained cheek, wiping away any wetness that remained. “Thank you…”  _ I don’t deserve you. _

 

Jon chuckles sadly then hiccups. He takes in a long, shaky breath before he speaks as to not accidentally start crying again. He wraps his arms around Damian’s waist and whispers, “Y-you’re always gonna have me here, ok? Whatever you need I’ll be here ok? You j-just have to let me help...”

 

“No promises,” Damian whispers. “I don’t understand… why do you choose to stay with me? I’ve never done anything good for you. I treat you horribly all the time and you keep coming back.”

 

Jon’s breath catches in his throat and he opens his eyes, lashes still slick with tear drops. He frowns for a flicker of a second. “Because..I know you care. You don’t really have a good way of showing it,” Jon laughs quietly, pulling himself slightly away from Damian to look at him. 

 

“But I just  _ know _ you care. You may say things that hurt me..but now I know it’s cause you’re hurting too. You just.. you need to let people help you deal with that hurt.  _ I _ want to help you deal with that hurt and that’s why I keep coming back..” Jon brushes a tear away from Damian’s cheek with his thumb and gives him a heartfelt smile.

 

Damian shakes his head in disbelief. Jon cares for him just as much as he does. He keeps coming back after everything Damian does because he wants to help him. Damian can’t fathom  _ why _ on earth Jon would do that.

 

“...Thank you,” Damian murmurs, eyes wide and still glossy.

 

“Of course, Dami.” Jon whispers back. “So.. do you wanna talk about it? Are you ready to?” He asks softly, rubbing the teen’s shoulder encouragingly. 

 

Damian nods after a moment of hesitation, and takes a deep breath to ground himself before starting.

 

“I saw my grandfather and mother first,” Damian begins. “Ra’s kept saying you were dead. I didn’t believe him at first because… I don’t know. You know how in dreams you just know things? It was kind of like that. And… Talia brought out your body and… I tried to kill Ra’s. He kept moving. He shouldn’t have been able to move that fast. I thought I had him restrained but he snapped the binds in half? This sounds… sort of silly now that I’m saying it out loud,” the Boy Wonder admits.

 

Jon listens intently, heart filling with distaste and slight anger at Damian’s grandfather. He’s heard many stories about him and couldn’t imagine having a vivid nightmare about him. 

 

“No, no, it’s not I promise.” Jon assures him quickly. “It’s what happened. I won’t laugh or anything.”

 

Damian nods again. “Then I started flying. It was almost peaceful for a little. There’s nothing that can bother you above the clouds. But I started lowering and the manor was on fire. I couldn’t get down very fast but when I did, there was a sharp pain and everything went black. That was a sedative, wasn’t it?”

 

Jon nods. “Yeah.. they said then it would only be a nightmare if you fell asleep and you wouldn’t accidentally hurt yourself. I was still so worried though..” He looks at Damian nervously. “What happened after you fell asleep? Did it get worse?” His sapphire eyes widen. He hadn’t exactly put much thought into it before now, if he was honest.

 

“Well… Batman was there. And so was I but older. I…” Damian swallows and forces down the burning sensation in his throat. “I killed him. I couldn’t move or speak until I heard you a few seconds later, and even then it felt like my limbs weighed a ton each.”

 

A little gasp is drawn into Jon’s lungs but he keeps quiet about the Batman scene. He could tell how hard that probably was for his friend to witness. 

 

“You heard me?” Jon purses his lips anxiously.

 

“You were screaming,” Damian explains in a hushed voice, fingers twitching in their place stacked neatly on top of one another in his lap. “There was a sea of blood all around us and when I went under, I could see you. You were dead too…”

 

The Kryptonian’s face noticeably grows a few shades paler. So far, Jon had been dead  _ twice _ in Damian’s fear induced hallucinations and it was starting to scare Jon as well. He stammers for any words to say, all that manages to come out is a small, “..Oh no..” and he doesn’t say more. He’s really at a loss for what to say to this..  _ Probably something better than just ‘Oh no’, dummy.. _

 

“I'm sorry for saying you weren’t special. You are, or else I wouldn’t have seen you twice.  _ Dead _ , no less,” Damian focuses on the space just in between Jon’s brilliant blue eyes so he wouldn’t be able to tell he wasn’t looking directly in them.

 

That makes Jon smile a little. A small smile that was also relieved. “It’s okay.. I’m glad that I am because,” Jon’s voice drops to above a whisper and he takes a breath. “Because you’re special to me too. Really special to me.”

 

Damian can feel heat rushing to his face at Jon’s words and prays it isn’t visible. “Thank you,” he says curtly.

 

Jon nods again, looking back up at Damian. He seems slightly surprised or taken aback by what Jon has said. Jon just assumed he knew. “Yeah..I-I’m just sorry you had to see all of what you saw,” he changes the topic slightly. “You didn’t deserve that.”

 

Damian isn’t sure if he agrees with Jon’s statement, but he thanks him again anyways.

 

When Damian says thanks, Jon can see the present doubt in his expression and it unsettles the younger boy. 

 

Jon sighs. “I want you to know that I really believe and mean what I say. I can tell your past still haunts you, and not many people can relate, let alone understand what you had done and been through,” He tries to get Damian to meet his gaze again. “But you’ve changed into a good person. You’re still learning just like a lot of other people and it’s gonna take time to shake off your demons. But you don’t deserve to be constantly attacked by them, okay? You don’t deserve that.” He finishes strongly with a nod.

 

“Thank you,” Damian repeats for the third time, this time sounding much more genuine. His eyes drift upward to Jon’s when the younger boy leans forward and ducks his head slightly, trying to meet his gaze. He still  _ can’t believe  _ how someone as kind and pure as Jon ended up being his best friend.

 

Jon smiles when he can finally hear the sincerity in Damian’s thanks. He wants to hug him again (and if Jon’s being honest, again and again and again and more) until Damian can really understand how much Jon cares for him. 

 

“Of course. Thank  _ you _ for opening up. I guess I really am special then, huh? Damian Wayne opened up to me,” Jon laughs softly, honestly grateful.

 

“You are,” Damian assures Jon, offering a small smile. It feels like forever since he last smiled. “And thank you for listening.”

 

“You know I’ll always be here. It’s us, me and you, the Super Sons,” Jon murmurs, staring into Damian’s jade green eyes. He wants to see those eyes happy all the time. Jon wants to be the one to make those eyes happy and hopefully keep them happy. His heart soars at the thought as his head fell forward to Damian’s lips. “I want it to be us,” Jon says aloud as he feels his eyes start to close. 

 

They snap back open suddenly and Jon can’t breath. He’s—when did he get so close to Damian’s face..he didn’t even realize he got  _ this close.  _

 

Damian’s breath catches in his throat as Jon’s eyelids close and he leans forward.  _ Is he— _

 

There’s no time to finish the thought as Jon stops  _ centimeters _ away from his face, eyes wide. Damian is panicking and screaming in his mind, but his body is frozen in its place.

 

Everything processes in Jon’s head about—oh  _ God— _ what he  _ just said _ .. what he just did. Well, what he was about to do. 

 

His cheeks ignite a bright shade of red and all he can do is stare in a slight panicked trance. His mind is screaming at him but it’s so much screaming that he can't decipher what exactly his mind is telling him to do. “Uh—ah—“ Jon takes in a breath quickly. Still panicking.

 

They’re a little further apart now, and Jon looks like he’s about to have a stroke. “Jon?” Damian waves a hand in front of his face. “You okay?”

 

The hand in front of Jon’s face makes him flinch a little and he blinks finally. If it was possible for his blush to deepen, it did. “Uhm.. I-I’m—What?” He says dumbly as his heart jackhammers in his chest so hard it’s starting to hurt.  _ Am I having a heart attack? Oh no oh no I’m  _ dying  _ now, this is what I get for not thinking!! _

 

“You almost kissed me,” Damian says, rather bluntly. He doesn’t even believe it himself. “Why did you stop?”

 

Jon’s jaw drops slightly and his stomach does a flip. “I almost ki—I um—s-stop?” He breathes out quickly and feeling lightheaded. “ _ Why did I stop?”  _ Jon echos, not sure if he’s hearing what he wants to hear or if it’s what he’s actually hearing. He doesn’t even know anymore. 

 

Damian begins to feel anxious when he notices Jon’s breathing pick up. He looks pale and about to  _ faint _ . “Nevermind, don’t answer that. Just breath. Deep breaths, Jon— good.”

 

Jon does as told, taking in a very shaky deep breath, still staring at the Robin with a dumbfounded look on his face. Once he feels like he can slightly speak again, he dares to open his mouth. “Wait, wait, I just—did you mean.. why  _ didn’t _ I keep going? Like.. you  _ wanted _ me to keep going?” 

 

Damian stares at Jon briefly, expression unreadable. “...Yes,” he replies almost bashfully.

 

More butterflies flap their annoying little wings in Jon’s stomach as he chokes on a ‘ _ Really?’  _ and it comes out as a broken squeak, embarrassingly. Jon swallows and pauses to catch his breath then tries again. “So.. I can kiss you?” He whispers hopefully.

 

Damian nods. 

 

“Okay,” Jon says slowly, nerves spiking. He leans hesitantly forward, back to the distance they were at before and takes a few breaths to try and calm himself down. His blue irises try not to focus on Damian’s lips, pretty and soft looking. Jon doesn’t understand why he’s so  _ nervous _ all of a sudden. Damian wants to to kiss him too (that  _ still _ baffles Jon), so why is he being so shy and sheepish? 

 

He can’t chicken out now. Jon finally regains some small bit of confidence and tilts his head to the side and quickly but softly presses his lips against Damian’ before he had a chance to second guess himself. 

 

That seems to shake all of Jon’s previous anxieties and he moves his hand slowly over Damian’s shoulder to rest behind his neck and presses more against the boy.

 

Damian responds very gently to the kiss, almost not pressing forward at all. He lets his eyes flutter closed as he feels Jon’s warm hand cupping the back of his neck and feels his own lips part slightly.

 

Jon slows down his movements and kisses more tenderly than before and wraps his arm around Damian’s waist. He can feel himself becoming short of breath so he pulls away so they can both get some air back into their deprived lungs.

 

Damian rests his forehead against Jon’s as they pull apart, staring into his startlingly blue eyes. A small smile lights up his face. “That was nice.”

 

An excited giggle escapes Jon’s lips and he smiles back. “It was—I really liked that.” He lightly runs his hand across the baby hairs on the back of Damian’s neck. “Wanna do it again?” 

 

Damian nods and sighs. “I wish we could do it  _ forever _ .”

 

Jon presses a quick kiss to the Boy Wonder’s lips. “Yeah, me too. Air is kinda important though,” He presses another kiss to Damian’s lips, this time longer.

 

Damian suddenly can’t stop smiling, the feeling of Jon’s lips against his giving him a lighthearted giddiness he felt seldom elsewhere. He kisses back, hands finding themselves wrapped firmly around Jon’s torso.

 

“You kiss really nice,” Jon comments after placing a peck on Damian’s jaw then cheek. “I didn’t know kissing was this great,” He sighs happily, feeling exuberant and light. Jon starts to deeply kiss Damian, lightly humming in excitement.

 

Damian can’t even respond to Jon’s remark before he’s kissing him again, this time more intensely. He keeps up with the pace effortlessly, and thinks to himself that they move and fit together perfectly.

 

Even when Jon’s head feels once again light from lack of oxygen he doesn’t let up much and brings his hand that was previously around Damian’s waist to his shirt collar, lightly clutching onto it. Jon really can’t even think anymore but suddenly he hears a loud  _ CLANG _ somewhere in the room and his eyes shoot open as he pulls away from Damian, panting roughly from the scare and from the long kiss.

 

“What the  _ fuck  _ did I just walk in on?” Jason Todd coughs out. He seemed to have choked on a sip from his glass of water he had previously been drinking, but that along with a tray carrying a few plates of food were now shattered on the ground. 

 

Damian stares wide-eyed at his older brother, mouth slightly agape and opening and closing repeatedly like a floundering fish. He can’t speak for a good few seconds, but when he finds his voice again the first words he says is a pleading, “Don’t tell father!”

 

Jon switches his gaze between Red Hood and Robin, eyes blown wide.  _ Shit shit shit,  _ Is his only coherent thought at this frightening moment. 

 

“Oh, Damian, why would I ever tell Bruce about you shoving your damn tongue down Jon’s  _ throat _ ?!” Jason croaks out, finally stopping with his coughing fit. “That’s  _ definitely not _ information the Bat would love to know about!”

 

Damian releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding and breaths another one in deeply, attempting to still his racing heart. “Don’t tell  _ anyone _ . If a single person mentions it you’ll be sorry,” he threatens, green eyes sharp.

 

Jon looks at Damian as he glares at his brother warningly with fierce eyes and it made Jon, despite the situation, kinda really want to kiss Damian some more. He draws his attention away from the second eldest in the room back to Jason who looked slightly amused.

 

“What’re you gonna do, Demon spawn? Kill me? Been there, done that,” He scoffs like Damian’s threat was nothing then looks directly at Jon, a curious spark in his teal blue eyes. “And what about Supe’s kid? When he finds out, what do you think  _ he’ll _ do? Probably be  _ pissed as hell _ because his son didn’t tell him that he kissed lil Robin the fifth here.” Jason finishes smugly, no longer trying to hide his amusement. 

 

“I’ll do  _ worse  _ than kill you if you utter a single word to Clark,” Damian growls, moving slightly further away from Jon to take a threatening step towards Jason.

 

Jon quickly reaches out his hand and grasps onto Damian’s wrist to get his attention. Jon slips his hand into Damian’s and gives him a look as if to say,  _ Just calm down a little bit _ . Jon looks over to Jason and frowns slightly. “I think we would rather just keep this,” He looks down at his and Damian’s intertwined fingers. “To ourselves until we’re ready for people to know, like my parents and Bruce. Can we do that?” He asks gently, trying to appeal to the former Robin.

 

Jason brings his hand to his chin in a charade of thinking. “Hmm, I  _ guess  _ we can,” he says, grinning. “I have blackmail material now, little bro. Don’t get on my bad side.”

 

Damian rolls his eyes. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

A relieved smile spreads across Jon’s face and he sighs in satisfaction. “Crisis averted!” He looks at Damian and adds grimly, “You better stay on his good side, Damian.”

 

“I’ll certainly try my best,” Damian assures Jon, shooting a glare in Jason’s direction. “What he doesn’t know is how much blackmail material I have for  _ him _ ,” he adds, voice so quiet only Superboy could hear.

 

Jon laughs to himself at that.  _ I really hope things stay like this: happy and light.  _ He thinks wishfully, lightly squeezing on Damian’s hand.

 

“Well, you kiddos have fun. I’m gonna go eat breakfast with everyone else. Join if you want, but if you just want to stay down here,” Jason gives them a devious look, a smirk to match. “Just remember to use condoms.” And with that, he books it out of the room as to not get potentially slaughtered by Damian.

 

Damian’s face goes red from Jason’s remark, whether from anger or embarrassment he’s not sure. He sighs, turning to Jon. “Would you like to join them or eat later? Either way Jason wins,” Damian adds spitefully.

 

“We should go eat,” Jon, as if on cue, realizes how hungry he felt. A small win for Jason, but a bigger win for Jon’s stomach. “C’mon. He won’t make it  _ that bad, _ ” he chuckles.

 

“You don’t know him very well, do you?” Damian grumbles, shooting a smile at Jon.

 

Jon’s heart skips in his chest and he can’t help but think to himself how he probably won’t ever get used to seeing Damian smile at Jon. “Guess not. I’m willing to take my chances though,” Jon stands and takes a step close to the shorter boy, leaning in for another kiss. 

 

Damian closes the distance between them, and gives Jon a small peck on the lips. “Alright then. Just be prepared for lots of looks.”

 

“I’m ready, Batboy.” Jon nods firmly and grins. “Lead the way, I’m starved!”


	25. Abuse (Damijon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon is in an abusive relationship (not with Damian).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catchy as Damian  
> Secretlyaspeedster as Jon  
> Both as Dominic
> 
> If you are in an abusive relationship, leave it. It’s hard but it’ll be worth it.

Another typical Friday night for the Super Sons was in the history books.

The night was easy and fairly long, their patrol stretching well into the late night/early morning time.

Jon was tired and worn out as hell, so when Damian offered to let him crash at his penthouse he couldn’t refuse. And plus, they were in Gotham, so it’s not like it was too far of a fly to get there.

After showers, both of the boys were out like a light and slept well into the afternoon. Damian woke up first and Jon presumed he was in the kitchen so he dragged his sore limbs out of bed and down the hall.

“Hey,” Jon yawns sleepily when he finds Damian in the kitchen. “Did you happen to make anything substantial ta eat? I didn’t really eat much yesterday, so a big lunch—er, breakfast, would be great right about now.”

Damian snorts at his partner-in-crime from across the counter he’s seated at. “Of course. What kind of place would I own if it didn’t have food?” He stands and stretches, then walks to the fridge, his feet landing almost silently on the tile. “Unfortunately, I am not the best cook. Would you be able to settle with a microwaveable meal?”

Jon sits down at the counter and rests his chin on the ledge. “Sounds good to me! And yeah, you’re right about the cooking part.” Jon snickers playfully at his friend then runs a hand through his messy strands of jet black hair.

“Thanks,” Damian says sarcastically, grabbing some Hot Pockets from the freezer. He opens the package and begins prepping the frozen rectangle. He pops it in the microwave and sets the timer for 2 minutes.

“So,” Damian says, turning around to look at Jon while leaning back against the counter. “How’s… Derek?”

Jon raises an eyebrow and looks at Damian for a few seconds before speaking slowly. “Eheh, you mean Dominic?” He chuckles awkwardly.

“Same difference,” Damian says, waving a hand as if physically swatting away the correction. “How are you guys?” Damian was asking mostly because he was genuinely curious, but another part of him wanted to size Dominic up a little. From the one time he had seen him (spying on him through his apartment window) he hadn’t looked like very much of a rival, but looks can be deceiving.

The sparkle in Jon’s eyes flickers momentarily and he opens his mouth to speak but nods instead even though it wasn’t a yes or no question that had been asked. He takes a second to ponder over the past couple of months.

“..Good! Our three month anniversary is coming up in a few weeks, actually,” Jon says with a slightly forced smile but still backed by his signature cheery attitude to make it believable.

Damian notes Jon’s hesitance to answer his questions (twice), wondering briefly what it could mean. He had never been nervous about talking about his relationship before, so that couldn’t be it. He decides to put off his (probably pointless) over analyzing for when he was out of Jon’s company.

“That’s good. Do you have any plans?”

“Oh, yeah!” Jon internally screams ‘Yikes!’ as he claws around quickly for a lie about something fun he would be doing with Dom instead of.. well, being miserable.

“I was think—hoping to land us some tickets for a Metropolis baseball game! Since we met playing on the school’s baseball team, I thought it’d be nice to go.” Jon smiles to himself, secretly wishing that that was true.

Damian nods in approval. A thoughtful and entertaining anniversary gift. Dominic was lucky to have Jon. “I’m sure he’ll love it— if you manage to get the tickets, of course.”

Jon nods with a grin. “I have faith that I will! It’ll be great..” He trails off, desperately wanting the conversation to transition into something other than Jon’s love life.

“How about you? What’s new in the life of Damian Wayne, Gotham’s prince?”

Damian shrugs. “Not much, to be honest. I hate having a public image to maintain. It makes things far more messy than they need to be, such as keeping my identity secret.”

The microwave beeps, and Damian turns to take it out with a kitchen glove he left on the counter. He puts it on a small plate, and places it in front of Jon.

“Enjoy,” Damian says with a grin.

Jon’s blue eyes widen at the food in front of him, a pizza smell making him reach instantly to grab the Hot Pocket. He winces when it burns the tips of his fingers and he drops it with a hurt frown. Jon, with help from his freeze breath, blows lightly over the plate and cools down his food just enough to eat. He takes a big bite and grins happily.

“Jeez, that sucks. Luckily, I’m Mr. Nobody-Jonathan-Samuel-Kent and don’t have to keep up with the press and media!” He takes another bite of his Hot Pocket. “But seriously, that must—“

A sharp ringing of a phone cuts Jon off abruptly. The vibrating in his pocket indicates that it’s his and he sets down his dinner and fishes out his phone, tapping the green button immediately when he sees that it’s Dominic calling.

“H-hi babe!” Jon says quickly, swallowing his food.

“Where the hell are you?!” barks Dominic’s irritated, slightly slurred voice over the phone speaker. Jon winces and quickly presses the volume button on the side of his phone to minimize anything Damian could possibly hear.

Damian watches Jon from across the counter passively, wishing he had superhearing too. All he caught was “where the—” before Dominic’s voice cut out due to Jon lowering the volume. He sounded angry. Damian decides to listen to Jon’s replies before jumping to any conclusions.

‘I’m over at my best friend’s place cause I spent the night!’ Wasn't really on the list of things Jon could say to answer Dominic’s question without getting yelled at even more. All of this lying on the spot thing was making Jon sick to his stomach.

“I-I’m at Damian’s..He needed help cause his—“Jon scrambles for something to say even though he already knows he hesitated for too long. “His tv wasn’t receiving the channels he wanted! I was hooking him up with the new Roku—“

“That’s bullshit, Jon. How long have you been there? I haven’t seen you since yesterday morning.”

Jon turns a noticeable shade of pale and weakly responds with, “Since this m-morning?”

Dominic scoffs from across the line. “Really? Where were you the entirety of last night then?”

“I’m sorry, I was just checking in with my ma and dad, I hadn’t seen them in a few weeks..” Jon hopes that Damian can’t see his hand shaking. “I’m sorry,”Jon repeats softly, praying that it would calm his boyfriend down.

“You better be,” Dominic growls. “I want you back home in fifteen minutes.”

Damian notices how scared Jon looks talking to Dominic. Scared was an understatement, from the way Jon paled and trembled slightly. He was terrified. Damian’s eyes narrow slightly. He was definitely going to see what was up tonight.  
  
Jon’s mouth falls open and he snaps it closed again before saying something anything he might regret later. “Okay.. I love you,” He whispers into the line, remembering to breathe again. He doesn’t even wait for the response, knowing there wouldn’t be one and hangs up.

“Everything okay?” Damian asks quietly, knowing it wasn’t.

“Yeah,” Jon croaks out, not looking up at him in favor of staring at his phone screen, a picture of him and Dominic smiling happily together on their second date as his screensaver. “Yeah. Dominic was just.. he just gets worried when I go places and don’t really tell him. And uh, saying that I stayed over here for the night woulda seemed really suspicious..”

How could it be suspicious if it was the truth? Damian doesn’t ask, instead vouching to say, “So, I assume you’ll be leaving now?”

“I’m sorry,” Jon says quickly, standing up and glancing at his half eaten hot pocket. “But yeah. I.. thank you. I’m gonna go change,” He mumbles quietly and exits the kitchen swiftly. Tears sting at the back of Jon’s eyes but he blinks them away as he shuts the door to the guest room to get dressed.

Damian is left with the leftover hot pocket, and assuming Jon isn’t hungry anymore, he throws it away.

~ 0 ~

Jon didn’t think he would have enough time to drive his car over to Dominic’s. He flew as fast as he could over to his apartment Metropolis and rushed to his car. He had only 8 minutes to get to Dom’s apartment. Thankfully, their places weren’t too far apart from each other and traffic wasn’t at a standstill! It still was getting close to 15 minutes and Jon still had 5 blocks to go.

“C’mon, c’mon..” Jon whined at the cars around him, moving over to the other lane to maneuver his way in front of them.

2 minutes left.

He turns the corner to park into the apartment complex’s parking lot.

Almost there!!

Jon accidentally slams his car door shut in a hurry and rushes up the stairs to the 5th floor at slightly quicker than human speed. He fumbles with the keys and shoves them into the keyhole, turning and thrusting open the door.

“I’m here!” Jon calls breathlessly, stepping into the place that smelled of beer, barbecue chips and cheap air freshener. “I’m here, Dom!”

Dominic grunts, revealing his location in the bedroom. “In here.”

Jon sets his keys in the counter and kicks off his shoes then walks quietly into the bedroom and smiles sheepishly at his boyfriend. “Heya,” he greets.

Dominic is glowering at Jon from his spot on the bed, half lying down, half upright. “Cut the shit, Jon. I know you were at Damian’s for longer than this morning. You better not have been cheating,” Dom says, voice low and dangerous.

“No!” Jon says as quick as he can without hesitation. “No no no, you don’t understand. I.. I was at his place longer than I said but I wasn’t—! He’s my best friend! I wouldn’t do that to you, I wouldn’t ever-“ Jon babbles, quickly moving over to Dominic with apologetic eyes.

Dominic shakes his head, averting his gaze. “I just can’t believe you’d make me worry like that, Jon. For a whole night.”

Jon frowns, breath shaky in his lungs. “I’m so sorry—“

“And then when you lied to me? It broke my heart. Every time you lie to me, Jon, you break my heart.” Dominic clenches the sheets in his fists, voice cold.

“I-I.. Dom, I’m so sorry,” Jon whimpers, kneeling beside the bed, eyes glossy with tears.

“Just… tell me next time, okay?” Dom says, sitting up fully without help from the headrest with a grunt. “What am I supposed to think when you disappear for a night and don’t even leave a text?”

Jon looks up at Dominic for a second then let’s his gaze fall along with his shoulders. “I.. don’t know.. I see how bad that looked.” Jon sighs, feeling ashamed.

Dominic sighs, most of the tension easing its way out of his body language. “C'mere,” he says, arms out.

Jon stands up and crawls onto the bed, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and tucks his head under his chin. He sighs, feeling Dominic’s toned arms lightly press Jon close, reminding Jon of all the good in their relationship. He loves when they just lay together, happy. No arguing. The smell of beer and sunflower seeds was thick on Dom’s shirt and Jon just wishes the alcohol would go away. He wishes Dom would give up drinking so much. Jon can make him stop.. he can do it eventually..

“I love you. I’m sorry,” Jon murmurs into Dom’s shirt.

“I love you too,” Dominic replies, breathing in Jon’s sweet, honey-like scent. “Apology accepted.”

Jon looks up at Dominic and smiles. It doesn’t feel genuine. “Thanks,” He goes to kiss his boyfriend but Dom tilts his head away and Jon frowns.

“Jon..I don’t want you going over to..Damian’s anymore,” he says bluntly.

“...You what?” Jon’s brows knit and his brain short circuits for a second.

“You disappear at least one night a week and almost every time you say you were at Damian’s. I’m confident you’re not cheating on me, but I feel like your ‘best friend’ is getting in the way of us,” Dominic explains. “Don’t go over to his’ anymore, alright?”

Jon gapes for a second and his heart drops. “He’s not getting in the way,” Jon blinks rapidly. “We’ve been best friend’s since I was ten! It just feels weird if we don’t hang out!” Jon doesn’t realize he raises his voice until it squeaks a bit and he lowers it quickly. “I can’t just stop seeing him..”

“Well, I feel like it’s weird that you take just about any chance you can get to leave me alone here. You weren’t like this in the beginning,” Dominic states, eyes expressing hurt.

After wriggling away from Dominic’s arms, Jon huffs a breath. He didn’t feel angry, not yet. Right now he felt tired. He’s tired of Dom blaming him for the things wrong in their relationship.

“Dominic, neither were you. Don’t be a hypocrite. Y-you were so happy and loving and you weren’t angry at me most of the time! Now, if I do something wrong, you give me hell for it and make me feel like shit!”

“You should feel like shit!” Dominic erupts, voice raised twice as loud as it was before. “Because you make me feel like shit. I get worried sick, Jon... You don’t even kiss me like you used to.”

Jon sets his jaw and tries his hardest not to break down. He doesn’t mean to make Dominic worry so much. He doesn’t want to, and he feels terrible when he does.

“You drink more than you used to. How many beers have you had today? How ‘bout last night? Dominic, you aren’t sober most of the time.”

“It’s a personal preference, Jon. It could be a lot worse,” Dominic retorts.

“It could be a lot better,” Jon whispers helplessly. He feels like he can’t win. What can he say to make a difference?

“If.. If you try to cut back in the beers.. I’ll stop going to Damian’s.” Jon offers, but immediately wants to take it back. He doesn’t want to stop going to Damian’s. But he doesn’t want Dom to keep drinking like this.

Dominic considers this briefly. “... No,” he decides finally. “I like where I am, Jon.”

Jon’s heart falls to his stomach. “That.. that hurts me so much. It hurts that you can’t see how terrible that is. I’m trying to help you, you have to get better,” Jon feels himself starting to choke on his words, knowing nothing he says will help.

“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t ‘have to get better.’ You, on the other hand...” Dom says, grabbing Jon’s wrist roughly “need to stop seeing Damian. It’s not an option.”

Jon stifles a yelp when his wrist is grabbed harshly and he’s yanked towards Dominic. His blue eyes widen in slight fear but mostly from shock. “Let go of me.” Jon tugs his wrist and stares dead into Dominic’s stormy blue eyes.

“No,” Dom says, pulling back just as hard. “If you leave again without telling me where you’re going, you’ll be sorry.”

Tears burn Jon’s eyes and his wrist feels like if it’s pulled harder it might pop out of place. “Are you threatening me?!” Jon tries backing away, hoping Dominic will come to his senses and let him go.

Dominic uses his free hand to grab Jon’s other wrist and holds him still. “No, I promise that if you leave me that you’ll be sorry.” He growls and Jon’s heart races, blood pounding in his ears.

“W-what will you do?” Jon grits out.

“..If you leave, I’ll kill myself.”

Jon falls silent immediately and stops struggling, his breathing even stops momentarily. He feels like he’s been hit with a bus and was now bleeding out on the road, unable to move. “...What?”

“If you leave me— if you say you want to go. Forever. I’ll kill myself,” Dominic restates, eyes empty.

“No,” Jon says slowly, shaking his head. “No, no..you can’t. Don’t, please, no.” Jon says with barely any breath. He feels light headed. He feels weak.

“My death will be your fault,” Dom snarls, grip tightening slightly. “Maybe now you can understand how much you mean to me.” He drops Jon’s wrists and stands off the bed, exiting the room and leaving Jon to himself.

Jon can only stare in shock as Dominic’s words sink in. He watches him go, saying nothing to stop him. Jon’s wrists fall into his lap and a tear falls down his cheek. A few more tears fall and he chokes on a sob. “D-Dominic,” He whines, coughing after. I can’t let him. I can’t let him do that. It’ll be all my fault. He loves me and I’m going to be the reason he dies. I can’t be the reason he dies..

~ 0 ~

Damian goes to check on Dominic and Jon a little after Jon leaves. Dominic is asleep, and Jon is lying down next to him facing away from the window. Damian can’t imagine he’s sleeping, since they slept past 12 earlier. But they look fine, so Damian leaves.

One week later, Damian hasn’t heard from Jon at all. He’s waiting for Jon on the top of the building they usually meet at, but when it gets well past 20 minutes, he heads immediately to Dominic and Jon’s place.

They’re not in the bedroom, so Damian climbs down and enters the building normally. He knocks on the door to their apartment and stands back.

Dominic cracks open the door and grunts. “May I help you?” He says, looking down slightly at the boy in front of him.

From the couch, Jon tries to crane his head to see who was at the door but can’t exactly see since Dominic didn’t have the door open wide enough.

“Jon was late to a very important meeting. Is there something going on?” Damian asks, getting straight to the point without even introducing himself.

Jon almost shoots up from his place on the couch in surprise. He sees his boyfriend tense and scoff at Damian. “Excuse me? Who even are you?”

Jon starts to walk over to the door but freezes. He’s unsure of what to do, and Jon didn’t exactly look the best at the moment. He probably looked tired, anxious and unhappy.

“His best friend,” Damian answers. “I would like to see him, if you’re not too busy.” He sounds polite, but there’s a layer of coldness to his words. It’s not a request, it’s an order.

Dominic’s expression hardens and Jon can already see his anger starting to work up.

“Go back to that hellhole you call Gotham. Jon doesn’t want to see you.” Dominic growls and immediately Jon is by his side trying to get him away from the door.

“Damian! S-sorry—Dominic, calm down.” Jon glares at his boyfriend and then returns his attention back to Damian, eyes turning soft. It was refreshing to see his best friend’s face but he could already tell that this wouldn’t be a happy ‘just came to stop by and say hey!’ type of visit.

“Why were you late? Are you okay?” Damian asks, his eyes softening as well.

Despite Dominic’s irritated grumbling from behind Jon, he doesn’t immediately speak for Jon again. “I’m so sorry,” Jon says automatically. Those words have probably been the majority of what has come out of Jon’s mouth lately. “The time slipped by..I meant to text you, I swear,” he lied. He didn’t want to text Damian. Jon was afraid if he did he might not only make Dominic mad, but it might have made Damian come over to their place wondering why Jon won’t come see him.. Well, looks like I did that without even trying.

“Can you step outside for a sec?” Damian requests, hoping Jon says yes.

Jon turns and looks at his boyfriend with desperate eyes. Dominic throws up his hand and stomps away angrily, cursing and grumbling. Jon shuts the door quietly behind him as he steps out into the apartment hallway.

“I know you guys aren’t… good. Dom was yelling when I last saw you,” Damian says, worry apparent in his expression. “Is.. that why you were late?”

“We.. you’re right. We aren’t the best right now. We’re just in a rough patch at the moment, but no relationship is totally perfect, right?” Jon laughs quietly without humor, gaze dropping to his socks. “I’m really sorry I couldn’t come..I’ll try to come next time.” he tries to convince his friend. Jon’s heart ached to go on patrol with Damian and to get out of the apartment badly.

“It’s not too late,” Damian says hopefully. He can tell Jon’s aching to get out. “We could go now.”

Jon shakes his head. He feels terrible for turning Damian down especially since he hasn’t seen him all week long.

“I can’t, Dami. I’m sor—“ He stops himself from saying sorry again. He doesn’t need to be sorry, Damian isn’t mad with him. “I can’t leave Dom.” Jon says quietly.

“Why not?” Damian presses, thoroughly confused. “Is there something wrong with him?”

“No,” Jon says, shaking his head again. “I mean.. he just needs me here.” He states without further explanation.

“I don’t understand,” Damian says, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Are you happy with him?”

Jon is tempted to say no, have Damian take him away from the apartment and it would all be over. He knows that things just weren’t that simple but when he looks back up at Damian and says nothing, the look in his eyes says it all.

Just as he’s about to speak, the door behind him opens and Dominic rests his hand on Jon’s shoulder. “Done talking?” He asks, glowering at Damian.

“No,” Damian says sharply, his green eyes glaring daggers at Dominic. “A few more minutes should be sufficient.”

“Maybe I should rephrase,” Dominic huffs, not at all intimidated by the man in front of him. “Jon is done talking to you.” He starts to turn Jon around but Jon resists slightly, shooting Damian a helpless look.

Anger fires up immediately in Damian’s gut when Dominic touches Jon, who instantly tenses. “I think he should have a say in that,” Damian growls, eyes narrowing.

“I think you don’t have a say in this at all.” Dominic lightly pushes Jon behind him and steps out into the hallway, squaring up to Damian. Jon protests, eyes widening as he pleads for Dominic to stop.

Damian can’t help but chuckle as Dominic moves in a threatening position, as if challenging him to a fight. If he knew the training he had undergoed all his life, he wouldn’t dare say an ill word to him.

“Irrelevant,” Damian says icily. “Jon is your boyfriend. You need to treat him better.”

Dominic clenches his fists, eyes narrowing. “And who the fuck are you to tell me what to do? You aren’t his boyfriend.”

“No, but apparently I know better than his boyfriend,” Damian shoots back, almost thirsting for Dominic to swing the first punch just so he could put him in his place.

“You self entitled little prick—“ Dominic is about to step forward but Jon grabs him by his shoulders, holding him back. If Dominic even lays a finger on Damian, Jon knows the Robin will beat him to a pulp.

“Stop!” Jon pleads, trying to get through to his boyfriend.

“Who do you think you are?” Dominic sneers, trying to shrug out of Jon’s hold.

Son of Batman, Damian Wayne, Robin, Damian lists in his head. “You need to stay away from Jon,” Damian says, choosing to ignore the question. “He’s clearly not happy with you, and you’re an abusive asshole.”

“Jon, let go of me.” Dominic turns, putting one hand over his chest and pushing him away. Jon stumbles backwards and prays that Damian doesn’t kill him.

Free from Jon’s restraint, Dominic surges forward and throws a punch aimed for Damian’s neck.

Damian ducks and delivers a swift uppercut to Dominic’s chin from beneath him. He shifts into a ready stance as Dom is stunned momentarily. “Shouldn’t have done that, motherfucker.”

Jon releases a shaky breath, shooting Damian a look as if to say ‘Please don’t hospitalize him’ before Dominic shouts another curse and goes to tackle Damian.

Damian smiles slightly at Jon to let him know he’ll hold back, and directs his attention to Dominic again. He dodges as Dom lunges at him, and brings his heel down hard against his back as he goes by.

Dominic coughs as the breath is knocked out of him and he hits the floor with a grunt. While on the ground he tries kicking at Damian’s legs before struggling to stand back up.

Damian jumps over Dom’s kick, amused by his barbaric approach to fighting. He heaves the much larger man up by one shoulder, and jabs at the joint connecting his arm to his shoulder. He can feel it shift slightly, and Dom howls in pain. Damian drops him.

“Stay down,” Damian warns, stepping back slightly.

Dominic spits more curses, rolling onto his back. He gets up once more, stumbling as he throws another punch, hauling his body at Damian in a pretty pitiful attempt at hitting him.

Damian dodges easily again, tsking. He hears the faint sound of police sirens, and they get closer before staying right by the building. “I think that’s your ride,” Damian smirks, dodging a few more punches.

The defeated man’s blue eyes widen and he falls to the ground, starting to scramble towards the stairway exit. Jon steps out into the hall, marching over to Dominic. He grabs him by the shirt collar and not-so-lightly presses him up against the hallway wall, frowning.

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Jon says lowly. “You’re staying right here and you’re gonna face the wrongs you did to me head on.”

“You can’t let me go to jail, Jon,” Dominic groans, looking up at him slightly. “I love yo—“

“Don’t you dare,” Jon says shakily, voice cold.

Damian steps forward until he’s behind Jon. “Just stop trying,” he says. “It’s over.”

“Fuck you,” Dominic snarls, just as police can be heard starting to storm up the stairwell. Jon looks away from him, arms crossing in front of his chest defensively. He walks away slowly, head hung low.

Officers flow in and move towards Dominic. One grabs him by the shoulder and hoists him up abruptly. The officer turns him so that he’s pressed up against the wall and recites Dom his rights, cuffing him.

Two officers approach Jon and start asking him questions, so Jon starts telling them what happened. When he’s done, he sees Damian over to the side, waiting for him. Jon walks over, sadness in his eyes but a small smile on his face.

“Thank you,” Jon says gratefully.

“That’s what friends do, right?” Damian says with a bittersweet smile as well. “Look out for each other.”

Jon’s arm’s drop from their crossed position and he hugs Damian tightly. He doesn’t say anything for a few minutes and just holds onto his best friend, forcing back tears.

“You’re the bestest friend anyone could ever ask for, Dami,” Jon whispers with a tiny smile.

Damian snickers at ‘bestest’. It’s almost like they were kids again. “Likewise,” he murmurs, hugging Jon back firmly.

“If it isn’t too late,” Jon starts, pulling away from Damian. “I’d still really like to go on patrol with you?”

“It’s never too late for a batkid, Jon,” Damian jokes, eyes twinkling. “Grab your suit. I have most of mine on underneath my coat but the rest is in my car.”

Jon laughs, heart lifting. “Of course it is, Dami.”


	26. Captured (Bluepulse)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart and Jaime are captured by The Reach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Secret as Jaime  
> Catchy as Bart
> 
> We’ve already done a roleplay really similar to this, but we were craving some angsty bluepulse so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

“No!” Jaime’s eyelids shoot open in a frantic jolt and he gasps for breath for a few seconds—wait—

“What is all this?” He says as he looks around, eyes shutting to the weird reddish lighting of..whatever he was being contained in. He can feel a metal collar cut into his neck as he turns his head slightly. The stoic voice of the Scarab filters it’s way into Jaime’s thoughts.

“Recall, Jaime Reyes. You allowed the Aqualad to take us prisoner.” It sounded almost annoyed with it’s tone.

“Uh,” Jaime thinks hard, trying to recall fuzzy bits and pieces of memory. Aw few things started coming back to him but he couldn’t differentiate everything from what had actually happened and what had not. “Right, right,” He takes a breath. “Better armor up then.”

“Negative,” The Scarab deadpans, “The containment pod and inhibitor collar has neutralized all combat systems.”

Jaime starts to feel a bit claustrophobic, and the fact that he doesn’t know where he is, why, or how he’s in this place makes the knot in his stomach worse. Where did Aqualad take us to?

There’s a clicking noise emitting from somewhere outside of Jaime’s pod and he cranes his head to try to see what it might be. “Providing translation,” The Scarab tells Jaime.

“—the Scarab's memory files are corrupted. Only recoverable data is from the last eight months.” A female sounding voice replaces the clicking and Jaime’s eyes widen once he realizes they were talking about him. Why was his Scarab ‘corrupted’?

The one talking turns around to face Jaime. They looked.. like an alien. Some type of alien race. He didn’t know. They didn’t look friendly.

“That is,” she continues, eyes narrowing. “Since it fused with this host body. In fact, I was just reviewing the point of insertion—“ She turns back away from Jaime to face the silhouette of a taller figure Jaime can’t quite make out.

“Spare me the details,” he says irritably. “If the Scarab is off mode, reboot it after we receive more details and intel from the meat.” Jaime’s jaw clenches at that. Rebooted? More details? He can hear the Scarab’s voice in his head, alerting him of his raised blood pressure levels.

“I'd rather assess the cause of the crash, ambassador. To make certain it cannot happen again.”

Then a big, bulky figure steps out from the shadows almost menacingly. They wore black armor and looked similar to.. similar to Jaime’s Blue Beetle armor. His breath catches in his throat in surprise.

“No, scientist,” The figure speaks, voice deep and unnatural sounding. It sends a cold shiver down Jaime’s spine. “Admit it. You just enjoy playing with the meat and it’s companion.”

“Well, there’s that too.”

The “ambassador” scoffs and turns around to leave, the big black-armoured alien trailing after him.

That’s when Jaime starts to really freak out. Whoever captured him plans to most likely torture Jaime and-

Bart.

Bart was captured too. Jaime looks around, desperately trying to see if the speedster was with him, near him, safe or hurt.

The female-sounding alien walks towards Jaime, but her gaze isn’t focused on him; rather, the pod right next to him. Jaime stifles a gasp when he turns his head and sees its Bart.

The speedster’s eyes are closed and for a second Jaime is afraid he’s dead, but the scarab cuts through his thoughts. “The Impulse’s vitals are steady. He is merely sleeping.”

“Let’s get started, shall we?” the female one says with a far too pleased grin. She presses a button on the side of his pod and after a second Bart’s being jolted— quite literally— awake.

Bart is awoken by pain. His eyes fly open as his lips part to scream but hardly any noise comes out before the shocking ceases mercifully.

“Y’know you could’ve just tapped on the glass, right?” Bart says, his tone filled with mock annoyance.

The alien frowns and clicks a few words at Bart, to which he doesn’t understand.

Beside him, Jaime leans forward so that his face is almost pressed to the glass of the pod. “Bart! Bart, to your right, ese,” Jaime sort of whisper talks, not positive if the aliens could understand him or not. “I’m here. Are you okay?”

“Blue!” Bart exclaims, not as quietly. His heart lifts simply from the sight of his only friend in this era. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you okay?

Jaime nods and glances back at the alien in front of them. “I’m good for now,” he whispers, adrenaline spiking when the scientist goes to press a button on his pod. Jaime braces himself for the same electric shock Bart received, but it doesn’t come.

The pod’s glass cover parts and the alien steps to the side, pressing the same button on Bart’s pod. Jaime is frozen in shock and doesn’t move at first, afraid of what she might do.

Bart is the first one to react, stepping outside the pod eagerly and without much caution. He was antsy from being trapped in there for so long. He dashes to Jaime’s pod and immediately wraps his arms around the taller boy’s torso.

Jaime looks down at Bart and he sighs a tiny sigh of relief. He returns the hug, grateful for Bart being there with him and currently unharmed. “We’ll get out of here,” he whispers encouragingly, resting his chin on top of Bart’s head. Jaime eyes the alien lady with a cold stare, already hating her and wishing he could blast her with his plasma cannon.

The scientist turns around and taps a few things on her screen. She turns back to the two embracing boys and grabs Bart’s collar, yanking him back as a large metal cuff wraps around Jaime’s torso from the ground. A panel slides open in the wall, releasing a few decent-sized droids. They fly around Jaime, working efficiently and securing his wrists together with a couple more metal cuffs. He tries squeezing out of the large one around his waist and stomach area, but he receives a painful shock for the attempt.

Bart’s eyes go wide as he witnesses this, and then the droids are hovering around him, effectively keeping him still just by numbers. His restraints are a little different from Jaime’s; there aren’t any cuffs— just chains. They’re all wrapped around his arms and legs, and he can barely keep his balance standing upright once the droids stop holding him and retract back into the wall.

A surprised and choked shout comes from Jaime as him and Bart are separated, and reached out to try and grab him is useless. He only gets shocked again and tries to stop his thrashing after that.

“Bart, stay calm,” Jaime calls to him, hoping to keep the speedster from trying to move too much. The pure terror in his face makes Jaime desperate to try and stop them from constricting Bart and angry at the lady doing this to them. “Why are you doing this?” He shouts at the scientist who turns her attention back to Jaime.

“We need to gather intel on you and your corrupted Scarab. Hopefully from this experience we can prevent further incidents from happening,” She says stoically, their struggling not affecting her one bit.

Jaime grits his teeth and glares at her. “I’ll never tell you anything. Who even are you!? What is this place?”

“I believe I will be the one asking the questions,” the alien lady says levely.

Bart tries his best to look okay for Jaime— after all, he’s been through this many times before. But the fact that he’s been through this before makes his heart thump violently in his chest, because he knows how painful it is and he knows it will take all of his strength not to break.

He just hopes they don’t hurt Jaime.

The scientist taps a few buttons on her screen that make the restraints on Bart’s arms and ankles pull apart slowly and Jaime holds his breath.

“Now, tell me—and don’t lie,” The lady says to Jaime. She must have activated something on his restraints as well, because instead of the cuffs stretching his limbs in opposite direction, they cooled and constructed like a snake. She was literally trying to squeeze information out of Jaime. “Where any more of your bases are located. We need to find the other members of your sad band of children who neglect the true potential of their powers and use them for our own purposes.” She finishes with the smallest hint of a smirk and the knot in Jaime’s stomach worsens.

He doesn’t open his mouth to speak. If fact, he completely shifts his gaze over to Bart, ignoring her entirely.

Bart winces as his restraints pull his limbs apart, but meets Jaime’s gaze evenly. For the love of God, do anything but ignore her, Bart begs inwardly. That just makes her want to hurt both of us.

“I’m okay,” Bart assures Jaime quietly. Do what you need to do.

Jaime frowns, fully aware that Bart is not okay. He prays that if he tells them the information they want to hear then she’ll stop with Bart and focus on Jaime.

“I—“He shakes his head at himself. Lo siento, he thinks, not wanting at all the give away any information that could endanger the team or Justice League. The restraints on Bart pull more and he hears a choked whimper come from the speedster.

“There’s a space station—the Watchtower—where we also operate from. You blew up Mount Justice already and there’s the place in D.C...that’s it. That’s what I know.” Jaime knows that if they then planned to attack the Watchtower, they would have a hard time getting past all of its defenses.

“What about now,” she presses. “Where does your team of children operate now that your base has been destroyed?”

There’s a pain in Jaime’s chest and he can only hope that Nightwing and the others made it out before the place exploded. “How should I know? Aqualad and his other sharkhead buddies captured us. I have no idea if they’re even alive.”

That last statement seems to rub the alien the wrong way. She scowls at the teen as she presses a button. Jaime doesn’t have time to brace himself before he’s being shocked and it burns all throughout his body. He doesn’t know how long it lasts before it stops and he feels numb and sore, groaning from the pain.

Bart holds his breath as Jaime screams, paling slightly. “He’s telling the truth!” Bart exclaims. “You can’t do that!”

“Quiet, meat. You’re the one in chains, aren’t you? I suggest keeping it down.” she growls, shooting Bart a glare. She taps a few more things into her screen and something activates on Bart’s collar. “If you wish to speak again, you’ll suffer consequences.” Bart shuts his mouth nervously, eyes shifting to the floor. She turns back to Jaime, expression cold.

“What more do you want?” Jaime asks, voice sounding hoarse already.

“Well, since you appear to be useless, I will get information from your scarab instead.” She swipes and taps on her stupid screen again, and Jaime can feel Khaji Da’s mind clench on his knowledge. She makes a clicking noise that doesn’t translate to anything and suddenly Khaji Da is in pain. Jaime didn’t know that was even possible.

The scientist gives up when Khaji doesn’t relent and slides a bar on the screen. Bart shrieks, arching against the restraints as a pain far worse than electrocution shoots through his entire body. The collar was activating all the nerve cells in his body, sending an intense pain all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes.

“If your scarab does not cooperate, the pain for the meat will continue,” the lady says, growing impatient.

Bart jerks against the chains, trying desperately to escape the torture. He can’t make much of an effort, as the pain has all his muscles locked. All he can do is stare wide-eyed at the ceiling and scream.

Jaime opens his mouth to shout, but he doesn’t know what to say. He can’t control the Scarab, it had a mind of its own! Even if he asked for it to just cooperate to stop Bart’s pain, that didn’t mean that Khaji would listen.

“Stop! Stop hurting him, it’s not his fault!” Jaime pleads angrily, clenching his fists and thrashing his arms despite the pain that resulted from it. “Khaji, stop resisting, you’re making her hurt Bart!”

“I cannot allow confidential information regarding the Justice League and Young Justice team to be exposed.” Jaime growls in frustration to its statement.

“I’m telling you to stop resisting. They’ll get the information out of you eventually, and Bart isn’t getting any better!” Jaime commands but gets no response from the scarab. Jaime looks at the younger boy desperately, unable to do anything to help him.

“Khaji, por favor, please!” He whispers in one more attempt to get it to give in.

Khaji doesn’t budge and Bart is released from the pain momentarily when the scientist realizes that this particular tactic would not work on the scarab.

“I suppose we’ll have to try something a little different, then,” she says, looking wickedly pleased about that.

Jaime fears for Bart, but whatever was happening to him suddenly stops. Bart lets out a choked whimper as the pain ceases, relaxing against the restraints holding him up.

There’s a about thirty seconds worth of time where nothing happens. Bart’s labored, ragged breaths fill to room. Then Jaime is suddenly finding it hard to breath. He takes in a breath of air through his mouth without much relief. Khaji informs him that the oxygen is being stripped away from the room and levels are dropping rapidly.

Almost all systems are down, Jaime Reyes. I am unable to supply any oxygen from the Blue Beetle suit.

We’re both going to die if this goes in any longer! Khaji, you don’t have any options left!

Black spots dance on the corners of Jaime’s eyes, and before long he starts to go in and out of consciousness. He can’t even think anymore. He just knows he’s going to die.

Bart is unable to get a substantial amount of air into his lungs before the oxygen levels begin deteriorating due to his screaming, and by the time black spots are dancing around Jaime’s vision, he’s already unconscious.

“For your compliance, I am most grateful. Later is better than never, I suppose,”

The sound of that damn lady’s voice stirs Jaime out of his unconsciousness and he struggles to open his eyes. He sees her typing on a different screen now and lets himself take multiple deep breaths of air into his (probably critically) deprived lungs.

“Bart?” Jaime calls softly to the boy whose head was hung, auburn hair fanning over his face.

The scientist presses a button when Bart doesn’t move or respond, and the speedster is dragged back into consciousness with a shock. He chokes on his scream, gasping for breath. Each exhale is accompanied with a violent shiver, and it’s now clear how sickly Bart looks without his regeneration factor to help him heal.

Jaime winces. It’s hard for him to see his friend like this, who didn’t deserve any of this. Jaime wasn’t exactly sure how much of this the young teen could take.

“Now that I have gathered information I need from you,” the scientist looks pointedly at Jaime. “I can conduct research on you, speedster,” she walks over to Bart and lifts his chin. The inhibitor collar hung heavily around his neck.

“I wonder how you react in the cold, hm? You speedsters seem to be a real problem for our cause, as of late. We can’t have you time traveling around like this, our plans are already set in motion.” She drops his chin rather forcefully and Jaime glares such a glare, Batman would be proud.

A few tears sting Bart’s eyes from the dull yet vicious pain he’s in, but he refuses to let them fall. He simply swallows and waits silently as the scientist adjusts a slider on her screen.

The effect is instant. Bart’s body temperature decreases, and he’s left shivering intensely. He sets his jaw and waits for sleep to take him once more.

The scientist quickly adjusts the levels on Bart’s collar, allowing the biological levels of his speed work by not his physical. She records different readings of his vitals, testing how long it takes for his body to return to normal temperature. She continues this over and over, leaving Jaime cringing and looking away each time.

After the fourth cycle of extreme cold, Jaime turns his head towards her. “Why are you doing this?” He barks angrily. She ignores him. “I already gave you the information you need! Stop hurting him!”

“There is no limit to the amount of information we must amass,” she says, not bothering to look at Jaime. “Speedsters are one of our most dangerous enemies. We must know their weaknesses and exploit them.”

Bart wants to die. He wants the lady to stop and he wants the never ending pain to go away. He closes his heavy eyelids and bites down on his lip in an attempt to stop himself from shivering uncontrollably. It doesn’t work.

There’s this helpless, powerless feeling in Jaime’s gut that makes him nauseous as he looks at Bart. Tears spill down Jaime’s cheeks. He can’t trade places with him. He can’t do anything but watch uselessly. He can’t say anything to make it better, to make it stop. His arms thrash around, ultimately doing nothing but bringing himself pain.

The scientist taps another button on her screen and drags her finger across it a few times in separate places.

Three droids appear from the wall to Jaime’s left, one carrying a syringe, one carrying some sort of knife, and one carrying what Jaime assumes to be a blowtorch. His eyes widen and he starts shouting at the scientist, threatening her in between pleads to stop.

The cold stops for good, Bart knows, but when he sees the droids come flying in, dread sinks like a stone in his stomach. He yanks on the chains— his first full-effort attempt at escape since they were put on. The speedster tries kicking, but the chains pull his limbs apart further and he can barely move without overstraining a muscle.

Bart begins hyperventilating when the droid with the syringe flies closer, eyes wide and pupils dilated with pure terror. He can barely hear Jaime’s screams at the lady to stop over the rush of blood in his ears. He closes his eyes, sure the sight of a needle being stuck in his flesh would make him throw up instantly. There’s a sharp prick, then for a brief moment, nothing happens.

Then Bart starts screaming.

Jaime looks away before he sees Bart start to scream his lungs out, the sound ringing painfully in his ears. It ripped from his throat in raw pain and this time it doesn’t even break. It keeps going on and on and Jaime doesn’t think Bart can keep on screaming but he does.

Cold metal meets the sides of Jaime’s head and yanks his head up to stare right at Bart. His pupils were dilated too much and his skin turned an pale green. Jaime doesn’t know what is going on with Bart. The speedster thrashes violently as if he’s having a seizure, tears streaming down his face and falling onto the floor. Bart looks suddenly like he’s malnourished, his body using everything it had in attempt to rid his body of the poison.

Jaime’s crying too. He’s sobbing as he watches his friend be tortured and put through hell. The droid with the syringe leaves, and Jaime guesses that now Bart’s speed will help his immune system recover from whatever they forced into his frail body.

The red hot pain that was tearing its way mercilessly through Bart dies down agonizingly slow. He’s still crying after the effects fade, his body convulsing with each sob. He tries holding his breath to smother any more hiccups, and partially succeeds.

The second robot flies up next, whirring softly. Bart knows better than to beg, but he had almost considered it multiple times now. It won’t do him any good. He’s learned from the future that The Reach doesn’t care what anyone thinks or feels but themselves. At the very most, Bart and Jaime’s torturer would be amused he would make any plead at all.

Jaime can’t watch any longer. He wants this all to end. He hears Bart cry out when the flame the droid holds gradually sears into Bart’s arm. He hears Bart’s kicking against the restraints and hears a sick pop of a joint and Jaime’s eyes open again. He wishes Bart would just pass out already.

“You’re going to rip his arms off! Dios mios, Bart, lo siento,” He cries, sorry for everything that's happening. He doesn’t have much to be sorry for, but this somehow all feels like Jaime’s fault, and he’s sure that it is.

Jaime doesn’t know if he has any hope left. He’s positive Bart doesn’t have any will left in him. But there’s a creaking at the sliding door into the room they are in and Jaime looks over. The scientist’s eyes narrow and she taps vigorously on her screen but it’s not enough. The door prys open with a loud boom once they are apart. Jaime doesn’t see anyone there. He feels himself shouting, but he doesn’t know who he’s shouting for.

The scientist falls to the ground and is tossed to the side of the room, hitting a containment pod hard.

“Miss Martian!” Jaime exclaims and sure enough, the Martian herself appears before them. Her hands fly up to her mouth when she looks at Bart and trembles.

Miss Martian lifts her hand and sweeps it to the side, and the two droids go slamming into the wall. She rushes forward, examining Bart first since he looked in worse shape. She rips the chains from their places on the ceiling and floor, then untangles them from Bart’s ankles and wrists. Despite being laid on the floor gently, he groans in pain. “Sorry,” Me’gan murmurs softly.

“Are you okay?” she asks Jaime, releasing him from the metal cuffs with some difficulty. Bart and his’ inhibitor collars fall to the floor with a clang.

Not meaning to ignore her question, Jaime stumbles to Bart, pain shooting up his legs. He kneels next to Bart and rests a hand on his head, brushing back the matted hair from his eyes. His eyes cloud with more tears but he pushes them away because everything’s over now.

“I’ll be okay, but Bart needs—where’s the ship?” he asks hurriedly, not sure when reinforcements would arrive to the room.

“It’s a little far,” Me’gan says. “Are you sure you can carry Bart all the way there?”

Jaime nods. “My suit should be back up in running—”

Affirmative.

“I’ll fly him there. Go help the others, I don’t know where they are, but they have to be somewhere around here,” Jaime says hastily, gently scooping Bart up into his arms after his Blue Beetle armor covers his body. He looks down at Bart sadly, the boy’s arm at a sickly angle from the stretching.

“Go straight down the right, take a left, and in five sectors they should be waiting at the ship,” Me’gan explains quickly. “I’ll go get Beast Boy.”

He wastes no time getting out of that room. Jaime flies as quick as he can without jostling Bart too much. He does his best dodging any passer-byers and then turns a sharp left. He starts looking for the ship and Khaji tells him when to stop. He trips to the ground and enters the ship quickly, Batgirl meeting him almost immediately.

“He’s badly hurt, internally and externally. Where—“ She directs Jaime to a small cot to set him down in and he lays the speedster down, propping his head up with jackets he finds lying around..

Bart knows in his mind the torture is over. The torture is over and Jaime is with him, but it still hurts. He stifles a whine and reaches for Jaime.

Jaime lets his armor around his hands and face retract, taking Bart’s hand in his. He studies the badly bruised wrist compared to his own, both purple and red from the cuffs. He rubs his thumb over Bart’s knuckles, sadly looking at him. “I know you hurt a lot, but you’ll get better now. We’ll get back to base soon.. wherever that is,” he sighs, offering a small smile.

Bart’s fingers curl slightly around Jaime’s hand. It’s warm and Bart wishes he could hug him. He nods at Jaime’s reassuring words and returns the small smile. “Okay,” he whispers.

“Do you want to try and sleep?” Jaime suggests to him, seeing the tiredness in Bart’s eyes. “I’ll stay right here with you, if you want me to,”

Bart nods again. He relaxes fully against the cot and releases a long breath through his nose. He closes his eyes, hand still in Jaime’s.

~0~

Somehow everyone made it back to base alive. It wasn’t exactly much of a base, more or less like a hideout thrown together so that the team could still have a secure(ish) place to meet.

Trying his best not to wake Bart up, Jaime scoops him once more in his arms and brings him inside. He’s directed to the med-bay and sets Bart down in one of the beds, taking a seat to the left of his bed and starts wrapping him up a little bit before Dick enters the room.

“He’s out cold,” Dick points out and chuckle. He walks around to the other side of the bed, propping it up to straighten Bart into an upright position. He doesn’t seem to like this and starts grunting and coughing for a few seconds before groaning a little bit in his sleep. “He may have something broken in there,” Dick murmurs, pressing his fingers lightly against Bart’s rib cage in different areas.

“It should heal though, right?” Jaime asks anxiously. “He was hurt so much, I think his body is struggling to heal even with his superspeed.

Dick nods after a second's hesitation. “I’m going to hook him up to the IVs and that should give his body the nutrients it needs to have his speed and regeneration properly do its job. And rest, he needs lots of rest.” he explains, moving to get what he needs from the cabinets and containers in the room.

Jaime fidgets his hands, looking down at Bart. He doesn’t exactly need Bart to be awake for when Nightwing puts the IV needles in him. He takes hold of the younger’s hand and holds it with both of his. “It’s good to know that he’ll be okay,” Jaime decides after a minute.

“Which leaves you,” Dick says, looking at Jaime from over his shoulder. Jaime shakes his head.

“They didn’t hurt me like they hurt Bart. I’m fine compared to him.” he sighs, tracing the lines on Bart’s palm with his finger. The bruise on Bart’s wrist looked slightly swollen and probably hadn’t improved since when he first got it.

“If you say so,” Dick says. “If you need anything, just ask.” He exits the room.

The silence in the room is only broken by Bart and Jaime’s steady breaths once Dick leaves. Jaime looks down at Bart’s soft hand and drops his head, barely squeezing his fingers around the speedster’s hand.

There was still a knot in his stomach that never went away from earlier and he sighs quietly then draws in another breath. He can’t get over the feeling of not having anything to breath in, suffocating slowly in that room.

“I can’t believe you had to go through that,” Jaime whispers to the air, voice weak.

Jaime brings Bart’s hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles softly. “You shouldn’t have…” he trails off sadly.

He sits by Bart’s cot, holding his hand and watching him sleeping peacefully until he falls asleep too, head resting on the side of the cot.

  
~0~

Traumatic experiences make for horrible nightmares, and Bart isn’t a stranger to horrible nightmares or traumatic experiences.

Plenty and most of his nightmares consist of his family or friends being slaughtered and executed by the reach. Being tortured. Trapped and captured. He’s had countless nightmares about dying or being badly hurt and unable to run away. Blue Beetle—Future, bad Blue Beetle would make frequent visits to these vivid dreams. They troubled Bart almost as much as the real thing.

He doesn’t think he’s ever had a nightmare with Jaime in it, though. That’s new.

To the left of Bart, separated by a sort of glass wall, expands a large table that lay under a piercing fluorescent light. Rows and rows of tools, weapons, needles, blades and more were lined up perfectly almost the wall. Menacingly, threateningly.

Another glass wall separates the speedster from a large computer, screens and technology spread everywhere. They stretched to the right further until it looked to merge into the wall.

Now Bart starts to look around quicker, taking in his surroundings anxiously. Where am I? Where did—where is everyone? He scoots backwards, head hitting another glass wall. Was he in a container? The only two sides that aren’t made of glass are the tops and bottoms, made of some dark metal. Bart’s back presses up against the glass, knees drawing up to his chest.

His knees hit a collar.

He gasps quietly, eyes going down to the clunky technology around his neck. The breath is held in his lungs for a while until his chest starts to burn so he lets it out hurriedly. Bart reminds himself that freaking out won’t help him. He needs to think right now.

“Bart?” A familiar voice calls from behind Bart and the boy jumps slightly, head thumping against the top of the box. He turns around and then presses himself to the glass with wide eyes. His palms and fingertips press to the glass as he struggles for words.

“Bart, stay calm. I’m going to get you out of there, hermano.” Jaime commands levely. He steps forward cautiously, his metal armor clanking against the dark polished floor. Bart nods but still remains pressed against the glass as Jaime appears to chat with his scarab. His right arm morphs to a power drill looking thing and he beckons for Bart to back up slightly to the opposite side. He obeys and watches nervously as Jaime drills into the glass, moving it along the edges, all around. It barely makes a scratch on the glass.

The lights in the room dim red, everything going dark and unlit. Bart’s eyes widen and Jaime stops drilling.

Subtle siren noises blare from outside and Jaime opens his mouth to speak but as he does there’s a loud creak above Bart’s glass container. Bart looks up, despite not being able to see anything.

A small latch opens in the top of the container and Bart looks at Jaime, confused. The teen seemed to have the same expression.

“What—“ Bart’s voice breaks when murky water starts to pour from the hole, splashing up into his Impulse suit.

Bart skitters to the side of the glass container quickly, barely avoiding being splashed on by the water, foggy with filth. It pools at his feet, then his ankles, slowly rising.

“Jaime!” he says, heart pounding furiously in his chest. “Get me out!”

Jaime, suddenly seeming to move in slow motion, starts slamming different things at the glass but with no change, but swears that it only made he water gush from its hole faster than before. Bart whines out a breath shakily. He can feel a panic attack coming on and it was getting harder to breath. Maybe he was being deprived of oxygen again...

“Hang in there, Bart! I’m gonna get you out.” Jaime’s two hands morph into sharpened hammers and he swings them hard against the glass. The sound of vibration fills the inside of the container and Bart winces from the amplified sound being contained in the walls. Jaime groans and attempts this with more and more of his weapons. The water rises up to Bart’s knees now and he can already feel his legs turning to mushy jello in the disgusting water he’s standing in.

Jaime’s arms morph into a plasma cannon. They glow in anticipation and Bart looks at him with fearful eyes. “Stand out of the way,” Bart doesn’t have to be told twice. He’s pressing himself up against the left glass wall as he watches Jaime blast with everything he’s got at the unbreakable glass. The blast comes but with no reaction. Jaime tries again. And again, each time amping up the power on his cannon. Bart, with the sinking realization that this glass is not breaking, falls down into the water, unable to stand any longer. He crawls over to Jaime, asking him to stop, it’s useless.

“¡No, nunca!” He cries, trying to beat on the glass.

Bart’s lips tremble and he presses his wet fist to the glass, murky water up to his chest now. “Blue,” he whispers, trying to catch Jaime’s eyes. “It’s okay.” It’s not okay, they both know. And Jaime will make sure Bart hears it.

Jaime shakes his head, dropping to his knees in front of Bart, resting his hand where Bart’s is on the thick glass separating them. “No. It’s not.”

“No, it’s not,” Bart echos, eyes watering. The water is at his neck. “...Love ya, Blue.”

“You too,” Jaime says as the water reaches Bart’s chin. The speedster takes a deep breath as it rises above his mouth and nose and swallows his head.

He stares blankly at Jaime through the murky water. It’s dark and blurry and Bart can hardly make out the silhouette of his best friend. He can see Jaime is talking, but the water somehow blocks any noise.

Bart closes his eyes and breathes in the water. It burns in his lungs and as he coughs to expel it, bubbles fly to the surface and more water comes rushing in.

He’s going to die, he realizes despairingly as his vision goes dark around the edges. He’s going to die without ever telling Jaime he was in love with him…

Bart jolts upright in his bed, gasping and unable to catch his breath.

Jaime is startled awake as Bart moves suddenly, the sound of his harsh breathing filling the room. “Bart!” Jaime exclaims, squeezing the younger boy’s hand slightly. “Breathe, hermano. Just breathe. It’s okay, it was just a bad dream.”

Attempting to calm down doesn’t quite work for Bart. He makes a strangled sob noise, sucking in and holding his breath for a few agonizing seconds. He looks over at Jaime with teary eyes and the teen holds his hand tighter.

“You’re safe, Bart. Nada puede hacerte daño ahora,” Jaime tells him softly.

Bart has no idea what that means, but doesn’t have the air in his lungs to ask. Instead, he focuses on breathing like Jaime told him. He takes a deep breath in, holds it for a few seconds, then breaths out. A few tears trail down Bart’s face, and his shoulders shake as he attempts to keep in his sobs. The sudden motion makes some of the pain that hadn’t been healed by his regeneration factor flare up, and he whimpers softly.

Jaime reaches out and brushes the cold tears away from Bart’s cheeks, turning closer to him. Wide green eyes stare widely at Jaime, fear swimming frantically in them. He lets his hand linger around the speedster’s right jawline and draws Bart closer.

“It’s okay,” Jaime murmurs, voice soothing and warm. “You don’t have to keep trying to hold it in..” He can see that Bart is struggling to keep himself quietly together and it pains Jaime.

Bart reaches forward when Jaime turns toward him slightly, arms outstretched in a silent plea. Jaime allows the speedster to wrap his arms around his torso, and Bart cries into the older boy’s shoulder for a few minutes. He still feels like he can’t breath, so he forces himself to continue taking steady breaths. Other than a few hiccups interrupting his breathing, Bart mostly succeeds.

Each time Bart hiccups, Jaime rubs his hand over his back in wide circles until the spasms stop all together. His other arm rests protectively around Bart’s barrow shoulders and he presses the younger close. With his chin resting on Bart’s head, Jaime breathes calmly and deeply to let Bart try to mimic the steady breaths.

He doesn’t speak for a while, neither of them do. Jaime listens for any more crying sounds or sobs, and can only hear Bart’s sniffles after some time. Jaime asks quietly, and mostly into Bart’s hair; “Do you feel better?”

“A-a little,” Bart manages, voice unsurprisingly hoarse. “T-thanks.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Jaime breathes out a laugh that could barely be heard. He entangles his hand in the soft strands of auburn hair on the back of Bart’s hand and gently combs through it. “You’d be here for me, so I’m here for you,” Jaime reminds the younger. All someone really needs is another person to fall into when things get too much. When things are overwhelming or something is too traumatic, you need someone there for you, and Jaime knows that Bart desperately needs someone like that. Embracing each other is really all they need and Jaime couldn’t be more thankful to have Bart there to fall into as well.

Bart wants to stay like this forever, warm in Jaime’s embrace. He prolongs the moment as long as he can, then pulls slightly away rather abruptly. He notices how gross he’d made Jaime’s sweater with all his crying, and winces slightly. “Uh, sorry. About your jacket.”

Jaime almost sighs from Bart’s warmth distancing, then looks down at his sweater. There wasn’t much apart of him that bothered to care so he shrugs a tiny bit. “Está bien,” Jaime responds without hesitation. He just wants Bart to be close to him again and keeps his arms still slightly outstretched. “Also, you don’t have to be sorry,” he offers a subtly caring smile and adds, “It’s just tears anyways.”

Bart accepts the hug, this time placing his head on Jaime’s opposite shoulder. “And snot,” he adds with a snicker.

Another little laugh brushes past Jaime’s lips and he tilts his head to the side so that his cheek presses against Bart’s temple.

“Well that’s gross, but I guess it’s okay just this once,” He feels his smile stay on his lips as he speaks, content with having his arms around Bart again. Jaime absently wonders if this is all okay: hugging for this long and being this close. He knows Bart’s a touchy person in general but wasn’t too sure if this was pushing it or if the speedster was really sore and still hurt from earlier.

“Thank you. I know you said I don’t have to thank you but… Thanks for being here,” Bart murmurs into Jaime’s hoodie. “I didn’t really have friends back in the future and I wasn’t expecting to make any here, so… this was a surprise. A good one! A really good one. And you’re reallyniceandfunnyandiwasntexpectingthatfromthepersoniwassentheretostop but— you are! I’m really glad you aren’t the biggest baddest big bad I was anticipating ‘cause you’re… really…”

Jaime listens intently, amused with Bart’s sleepy ramblings. When he stops short, trailing off mid sentence, Jaime waits for him to continue but hears Bart’s even breathing and looks down at him to find that he’s sound asleep. He fell asleep on my shoulder, mid sentence Jaime thinks with a smile. He didn’t quite expect to hear that he’s a surprise to the speedster from the future, but is still happy that his is.

He shifts carefully so that both Bart and himself are back is against the pillows of the bed. Jaime adjusts Bart as slowly and as movement free as possible to lay him down more, head resting over Jaime’s chest. He rests his right arm over Bart’s shoulder blades and lets his left hand rest at his side.

With a sigh, Jaime looks down at Bart. He notes that he sleeps with his head tucked in a little, like he wants to curl up. Stray strands of hair fall over his face that’s slightly scrunched up at his nose and it all makes Jaime smile to himself.

“Buenas noches, Bart,” Jaime yawn-whispers, learning down to press a small kiss to the crown of Bart’s head. There’s still a small, warm smile on Jaime’s face as he lets his head fall back against the pillow, falling asleep almost instantly from exhaustion.


	27. Snark Lords (DamiLor)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon just wants his best friends, Damian and Lor-Zod, to get along

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> desolationofzara as Damian  
> jacksonnw as Lor-Zod
> 
> (Note: Lor-Zod/Chris Kent is kinda OOC, we wanted Rebirth Lor Zod (ie Murder Baby), but we kinda sprinkled in some of the Pre N52 Chris Kent in there too)

Damian sat across from the boy who recently fell to earth. With his stupid flat dark hair, a Z shaved into the side of it. And his pale, sickly, smooth, skin. He looked like a malnourished chucky doll with a God complex. He made Damians blood boil. 

"And just what the  _ hell _ do  _ you _ think you're doing here? Crashing me and Jon’s date? Take rejection like a man, Zod. Groveling isn't cute." Damian snarled

"Excuse me! Jon invited ME here, bat brat, so why don't you fly back to your damn cave. Oh wait, YOU CAN'T FLY YOU MORTAL!" 

God Damian got on Lor's nerves. Who does he think he is, forcing his way in between Lor and Jon. If Lor didn't know how much Jon cared for the demon, he'd teach the kid a lesson or two in how Kyrptonians deal with disrespect.

"I'd like to see how well you fly when kryptonite is shoved up your a-"   


A familiar ringtone cut off his sentence. He looked up and grinned evilly at the other boy, "Oh look who it is, it's Jon. Calling  _ me _ and  _ not you. _ It's most likely to tell me that he's running a little late for  _ our _ date. Run along, edge lord. You're not wanted here."

Damian swiped his thumb across the phone, "Hello Jonathan." he smirked, throwing a glare to a moping Lor Zod.

"Hey Damian!"   


"Where are you habibi?"   


"Im at home!"   


"At  _ hom- _ , wait? What's going on?"   


"Listen. Lor just got here and he's gotta get acclimated to living on Earth and  _ not _ destroying it."   


"Okayyyy?"   


"And you two are just so similar that I just figured that maybe you can show him around the city? Like how you did with me all those years ago?"   
Damian feels like he's just been sucker punched.   


" _W_ _ hat?! _ "   


"You know! Grab a bite to eat, show him the city!"   


"Id rather break my own legs, Kent." Lor sneered from across the table.   


"Id rather break his legs too." Damian grumbled.

"And hasn't anyone ever told you its  _ rude _ to use your super hearing on conversations that dont pertain to you?" Damian scowled as he held a hand to the microphone.

"Both of you, cut it out now. I want my two besties to become friends so you are both at least going to give this a try."    
Jon rarely got assertive like this, so Damian and Lor both knew not to mess with him on this one. No matter how much they hated each other, neither wanted to see an angry, or even worse, a sad Jon.  Lor couldn't believe he was even considering it, but he really didn't want Jon to be mad at him. How bad could one night with Damian actually be, if Jon had been putting up with the brat for 6 years.    


"Ill try it if you will demon spawn. I'm not gonna like it, but it's for Jon."

_ But it's for Jon _ replayed in Damians head over and over.   


_ Who the Hell did this kid think he was! He's barely been on Earth for a MONTH, and it's only been Jon this, and Jon that. HE'S TAKEN. _   


"Of course," Damian replied calmly, "anything to keep you happy Jonathan. Or from those deadly puppy eyes."   


"Great! Well, have a great night! And remember I have super hearing!" Jon giggled before hanging up.

What a sneaky jerk. Maybe he could fool Jon, but Lor saw right through Damian's calm demeanor. 

_Two can play at this game_ , he thought to himself.   


"So, where do want to go Damian, you know the city better than I do after all."

Damian has been through a lot of lessons through his training with the league. The main one drilled through his head for ten years was to learn your enemies weaknesses at the earliest point in time to use it against them. He's noticed how sitting in this slightly crowded restaurant has put Zod on guard, more so than usual. His eyes flicking everywhere, mainly towards the exits, his breath picking up in the smallest of ways. 

_ Perhaps his time in the phantom zone has made him phobic of large crowds. _ He thought suppressing a grin.   
  
"Well, I was planning on taking Jon. But there is a...  _ party _ of sorts on the coast of Metropolis. Would you care to accompany me,  _ Your Highness? _ " Damian gave a mock bow for flourish

"A party?" 

Lor did not do parties. Ever since the phantom zone, he didn't even really do people. That's what he loved about Jon. He didn't have to tell him, didn't have to explain his fears and insecurities. Jon just got it, and did everything in his power to make Lor feel comfortable. Of course the demon spawn would try to do the exact opposite, but Lor wouldn't let him win that easy. He would do whatever it takes to prove to Jon  how much he values his friendship, even if he had to face his deepest and darkest fears.   


"Sure Damian," Lor said sweetly, "A party sounds lovely."

Damian couldnt hide the feral grin that split his face. That Zod child may think he's fooling him, but he knows as soon as it gets down to it, he'll be a mess. Damian stood and pointed to the exit, "Shall we then?"

Damian and Lor made their way over to the exit as they bumped into the most unlikely company.   


"Drake." He hissed out, seeing his brother block the way.

"Thought you were on a date with Jon?" He chortled, glancing at the other kryptonian. "Get your supers mixed up?"   


"I would rather drink bleach than  _ ever _ go on a date with  _ that. _ "    


Tim just smirked, "Well, I hope you two  _ bond _ , or whatever the hell Jon wants to accomplish with you two being left alone together. Just try not to blow up a city block."   


"If we do it will be entirely  _ his _ fault and only done to interrupt your date with  _ the clone. _ " Damian sniffed as he turned and walked out of the door

_ Ugh. Timothy fucking Drake.  _ Lor thought venomously.

_If Damian wasn't such an insufferable asshat, Tim would take the cake for his least favorite bat. The kid tried to throw him in jail,_ just _because of his last name_. 

What Lor _didn't_ expect was for Damian to tense up almost as much as he did when Tim walked in. And they definitely did not like each other based on the conversation he just heard.    


"What? You hate Tim too?"   


"Drake and I have a long history, a history that's none of your damn business."   


"Hey, that ass tried to lock me away. Said I was a threat to Jon's safety. You know what, I'm gonna show him just how threatening I can really be." Lor turned around to go back inside and have a nice Kryptonian chat with Tim, when Damian grabbed his arm.   


"Don't you dare," he seethed, "I get to fight with my brother, me, not you. You lay a hand on him and I'll shove kryptonite so far up your ass, you'll be drooling it tomorrow morning."

Lor stopped dead in his tracks. Sure he could take Damian down without breaking a sweat, but the raw emotion in Damian's voice surprised him.   


"Jeez calm down bat freak, Jon said to play nice tonight. Let's just go this party you were talking about." Lor almost respected Damian for standing up for his family, almost.

Damian snapped like a rubber band that has been stretched to far.  Lor Zod can throw any threats he wants his way, but he better stay the  _ hell _ away from his family.   


Damian grunted and shoved Lor away.    


"Besides. You wouldn't get far with his beefcake of a boyfriend nearby, trust me. Ive tried it." Damian said, walking towards the fair that wasn't too far from their location.

"How are he and Jon even related?" Lor wondered.   


"Trust me, I've asked myself that question since I met Jon and I still don't have an answer. I almost feel sorry for Drake that he's dating the oaf."   


Lor never knew that Damian hated someone else besides him. They'd always been so busy fighting each other or fighting for Jon's attention, they'd never actually had a real conversation. Sure, Jon had told him a little about Damian before they first met, but he didn't know a single other thing about the guy.    


"Well lucky for us Jon is such a catch."   


"Lucky 'us'? You mean lucky me. Jon just feels bad you showed up here by yourself and he's too nice to tell you."   


Lor can't help the tears starting to form in his face. He swore he wouldn't let Damian get to him, but here he was crying like a child. What if it was true. What if Jon only felt sorry for him and that's why he let him hang around. Lor ran into the nearest alleyway just to get away from Damian.    


"Sorry Jon," he whispered, "I tried. I really did, but I can't do this. I just can't."

Damian heard the words leave his mouth and cringed as he said them. Damian snapped his head to the side and Lor Zod had big fat tears welling in his chocolate brown eyes.    
His mouth jaw fell open and was about to apologize before he used his super speed to run away.   


"Oh fuck me." Damian sighed.

Jon was going to  _ kill _ him.   


Damian ran into the dark ally. "LOR! LOR I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! GET OVER HERE! YOU CAN'T JUST  _ RUN OFF _ LIKE THAT!"   
Damian waited a beat and looked around.   


"Lor if you come back right now I wont call Jon and tell him you  _ abandoned _ me on the road."   


"Will you also tell him what you said?" a voice sneered above him. Damian exhaled and looked up. Rivers of tears streamed down the boys cheeks and Damians gut churned uncomfortably.    


"Yes, because what I said was not appropriate and I apologize. It is a knee jerk reflex to be protective over Jon and I reacted badly. Im... sorry." Damian said to the now glowing red eyes.    


" _ Possessive _ is more like it."   


Damian shrugged, "I won't deny that. I am possessive over Jon. He's my best friend and I want him at my side at all times. I've... never had a best friend before Jon."  The more he spoke, the more Lor Zod floated to the floor.    


"Perhaps... we share... a mutual... insecurity."    


"I have no inse-"   


"Save the spiel alien, you just ran off crying."

Lor pouted as his feet were planted firmly on the ground.

Lor felt Damian grab his shoulders and steady him on the ground. He's never gotten this upset, not with his parents and not with Jon. But somehow, Damian, the jerk who literally just made him cry, is the one to bring him back down, the one to pull him out of his own head.    


"Thanks Damian, I know this isn't easy for you, having me suddenly in your and Jon's lives, but it's not easy for me either. I came from a place where I had no one. Not a single person. But then Jon pulled me out, he gave a chance at a life, he gave me a friend. You don't have to like me, not even for Jon, but as long as he'll have me, I'm going to be a part of his life."   


Lor took a deep breath. He had no idea where all of that came from, but once he started, he couldn't stop. Maybe, as unlikely as it seemed, he and Damian could find some common ground. The one thing he knew for sure that they'd always agree on is Jon.

_ Kryptonians, as a whole, seem to overshare their feelings _ Damian figured, holding the boy at arms length only to keep him from flying off again.  Damian awkwardly patted Lors back. Jon was the one who was better with the feelings and emotions, even after all their years of partnership together.    


"Im sure i'll get used to you." Damian blurted and the boy with the huge brown eyes looked up at him.    


_ Damn these Kryptonians for having eyes that take up half their face! _   


"Just... don't expect me to hug and kiss you now that we've made up." Damian smirked.

" _Kiss me?_ _!_  In your dreams Damian!" 

Even as he said it, Lor couldn't help but picture kissing Damian, if only for a moment. He couldn't help himself. Sure, if you told him yesterday he'd be thinking about Damian Wayne, he'd have heat blasted you into a wall. But dammit if that smirk didn't make Lor's face heat up.    


"All right enough of this feelings crap. We already have one sappy Kryptonian, and I'm not looking to become the second. Let's get to this party of yours."

Lor did not frequent Damians dreams, maybe his nightmares, but not his dreams. But if that shy pink blush happened to worm its way into his subconscious, he wouldn't complain. 

Lor wiggled out of his grip and walked out of the ally way.   


"It's not a party, per say. More of a fair. Has Jon told you about them?" he grinned, calculating what to say to make that cute blush appear across the boys cheeks. "Unless you  _ want _ to go to a party, I can take you back to Gotham and show you a good time."

Was Damian Wayne hitting on him? 

Damian. 

Wayne. 

_Wow_. 

Lor froze, he opened and closed his mouth but no words came out. If he was blushing before,  he looked like a tomato now after that comment. The worst part was, a part of him wanted to go back to Gotham with Damian, wanted to be shown a good time. 

_Get a grip, Lor, he's probably just teasing you, it is Damian after all_. Lor tried to compose himself and turned to look at Damian, 

"Jon's talked my ear off about the fair. Besides, Gotham's too far." he added meekly, the blush never leaving his face.

Damian shrugged, not to let his disappointment come to the surface.  If he was being honest with himself, he wouldn't know what to do if Lor said yes. Granted, he was fairly better looking than when they were squabbling over Jon. But not good looking enough to let him reach any farther than first base without a date. 

Although the way his cheeks resembled the color of his adoptive father cape  _ was _ pretty cute. 

"Another time then." Damian grinned, the words coming out more sultry than he intended them to be.

Holy fuck. Damian was definitely hitting on him, no two ways about it. 

And he _liked_ it. 

Lor wanted to flirt back but he didn't want to sound like an idiot. 

_Ugh, why isn't there a self help book for growing up isolated in the phantom zone?!_   _He could really use that right about now!_  

Wait a minute, so maybe he couldn't flirt like Damian Wayne, but damn it all if he was going to freeze and do nothing.

Lor could see the outline of the fair in the distance and saw his opening. He grabbed Damian's hand and pulled him down the sidewalk.

Damian allowed the kryptonian to grab his hand hand yank him towards the fair. Jons done it more than enough times in the past.

"Didn't take you to be this excited for it." Damian chuckled.

Why oh why did the universe hate him like this. Lor might as well color in his face with a red marker because if Damian kept this up all night, he'd permanently turn red. He did notice that Damian didn't protest when Lor grabbed his hand, in fact, based on the grin on his face, he seemed to like it. Now that he was feeling confident, Lor decided it was time for him to flirt back. Damian didn't get to have all the fun.

"Excited? I'm just _dying_ to see it, Damian," Lor winked at Damian, and he could hear his heart speed up.

_ Well _ that  _ was unexpected _ Damian thought as Lor shot him a wink. Damian thanked the high heavens for his tan skin and how it took a lot to make him blush, but he doubted he could hide his racing heart from the sensitive kryptonian senses.    


"Well then, lets look around." Damian stuttered. He showed the front gates the tickets that he paid for in advance and they both boys in, giving them a handful of tickets.   


"They're for the booths and food. Certain places allow for a certain amount of tickets to be used. If you run out, I have cash on me so that we can buy more." Damian said.   


"Do you have anything lower than a 100?" Lor snorted, looking around the bright lights.    


Damian tried to ignore the butterflies growing in his stomach as the fair lights twinkled in his dark eyes, like the stars above them. The wonder in his soft small smile, one he reserves for the people hes closest to. Damian understands that part.    


"I'll take your silence as a no." the boy grinned, "Don't worry, rich boy. I have cash on me too."   


Damian tried not to trip over his words going with a safe ">TT<"

"So can we grab something to eat? I'm starving." Lor glanced at Damian and realized he wasn't paying attention to a word he said. 

He grabbed Damian's arm playfully, "Hey batboy, come on, don't zone out on me now." He really didn't think he could have this much of an affect on Damian, the guy never seemed phased by anything.

He damn near choked on his spit when Lor turned to look at him with a smirk and half lidded eyes. 

  
"B-batboy? Oh God, not you too." Damian tried to laugh as the other boy dragged him away.  "Also  _ Supey _ you're going the wrong way, food is in the opposite direction."    
Damian entwined his fingers in Lors and led him the other way.

_ Weird. His hands are cold. Jon's are always warm _ he thought, unconsciously stroking the boys smooth thumb with his own calloused one.

Lor was more than happy to let Damian take the lead. The farther they got into the fair, the more people he saw and the more panicked he was getting. The only thing keeping him from flying away was Damian's hand grasping his own. No wonder Jon always put up with Damian's crap, underneath the hard shell he worked so hard to keep up, Damian would never let anything hurt him. Lor felt safe with Damian, like it was just the two of them.

Damian pulled Lor towards a crowded restaurant at the fair; people were sitting on top of people and Damian could feel Lor become a statue behind him. His breathing picked up, and if he had kryptonian hearing, he could bet that his heart was racing. 

"Hey," Damian said in the softest voice he could manage. "Don't worry, we dont have to stay here, im sure there are plenty of different places to eat."  Lor just nodded at him, but his dark pupils were still blown.

Lor didn't want to look weak in front of Damian. Dammit he was  a _Kryptonian!_  He knew that none of these people could hurt him, but he still couldn't move an inch once he saw the mass of people in the restaurant.

  
"I'm sorry Damian, sorry for ruining our... whatever this is. Can we please go somewhere quiet."

"Let's go find somewhere quiet and figure out what the hell this is." Damian reiterated, slugging an arm around Lors shoulders. He was taller than Damian, as all kryptonians seem to be, so it looked awkward with Damian walking next to him on his tiptoes. It made the other boy laugh though, just like how it makes Jon laugh when Damian does it.    


_ Mission accomplished. _ he thought as he looked around for the least crowded area.

He never laughed like that, not even for Jon. Damian was doing something to him, making all his fears and anxieties just wash away.  Lor never noticed how small Damian really was. Sure he and Jon were taller, but he always figured that it was just a Kryptonian thing. Now,  after seeing all these humans at the fair, Lor realized that Damian was just small. And cute. The way Damian put his arm around his shoulders make Lor's heart skip a beat. Maybe this whole thing started with Jon forcing them to spend time together, but neither Lor nor Damian were willing to say that it wasn't a date.

Damian found a nice little restaurant by the shore of Metropolis Bay, it looked on the slightly pricey-er side, but nothing Damian couldnt afford. And if this was a date, Damian will not hesitate to treat Lor to some fine dining. After all those Kent burgers, and whatever the hell his parents fed him in the past on that deserted planet, he deserves something nice. 

"I know I told you I had cash on me, but I don't have  _ that much cash _ " Lor chuckled behind him.   


"Well, there a bank down the street, you can zoom in, lift the vault, and zoom out."   
That made Lor laugh. His laugh was by no means cute, it was loud and it sounded more of a cough than merriment, but for some weird reason, it suited him. It suited his personality. And Damian can be funny enough to a loner who's never heard what real jokes are.    


"I know the  _ son of batman _ didn't just tell me to  _ rob a bank _ "   


"It's okay, ill turn my head." Damian smiled with him, opening the door to the restaurant for him.

It didn't start out that way, but Lor was now positive that this was a date. Damian may have been joking around, but he brought Lor to a nice, quiet restaurant that he knew would calm him down.   


"Thanks Damian."   


"For the door?"   


"For all of this."

"Don't worry about it. If this  _ is _ a date, I should spoil you a little, right?" Damian smirked, asking the waiter for a booth for two.    


They were lead to their table and were left alone with their menus. The restaurant was dimly lighted, just as all fancier restaurants are, a single candle placed in the middle.   


"And if its not?" Lor smirked back. Damian watched Lor from the corner of his eye. How the light from the candle illuminated just how long and dark his lashes were, how the shadows seemed to cling to him and played nicely on the contours of his face.   


"Then you can thank me for treating you to  _ finer dining _ than a homemade Kent burger you've been subjected to."  Lor rolled his eyes, but smiled none the less.    


"And you can see what a date  _ is _ like with me, and see what you're missing out on." Damian added

"Hey Kent burgers are pretty... ok, you may have a point there," Lor's smile grew even wider. Here he was with Damian, telling jokes like two normal kids. Like friends. Except if Lor had learned anything from his short time on Earth, it was that people don't think about their friends the way he was starting to think about Damian. A blush started to dust Lor's face again. He just couldn't help himself, anything Damian said only made him want more.

There was an embarrassed smile that spread across Lors face and then his menu went up quite quickly, no doubt to possibly hide a blush.    


_ That very cute pink blush _ Damians brain supplied   


Damian had to laugh at himself, not even an hour or two before he wouldve done anything to avoid or provoke the boy, now he's unabashedly flirting with him. Some life.    
But there was more to Lor than just the surface, hes had his share of trauma, scars, family burden, things that keep him awake at night, the title of Nightwing. Damian knows he can most likely relate to all of the above, but getting Lor to talk to him about it was another feat of it's own.   


But he  _ wanted _ to learn about him. Wanted it more than hes ever wanted anything else. To have him open up to him. What his fears are, what makes him happy, what his favorite thing about earth is, all the different planets hes seen, what the phantom zone is like. Everything.

"You're looking at that menu very intensely." Damian opted to say instead. Flirting was a lot easier than asking someone to talk about their feelings.    
That's why he liked Jon. (Platonically speaking of course)   
Feelings poured out of Jon so easily. What made him mad, waht made him sad, uncomfortable or scared. What made him happy. Lor was more guarded on that front.

Lor wanted to talk to Damian, really talk to him, not just flirt (although he learned he did love to flirt), he just didn't know how. Sharing feelings always came so easy to Jon, but not for him. He was raised to believe that feeling anything was a weakness and that showing those feelings would not go unpunished.    


"Maybe I think the menu's the cutest thing in the room." Lor replied. He could do flirting, but he wanted more. He wanted someone who could truly understand him and he had a feeling that Damian could be that person. He just didn't know where to start.

Damian barked out a laugh, "Well, I can honestly say that this is the first time im going to have to fight a menu over someone."    


Flirting was easy, flirting didnt require deconstructing carefully placed walls.    


Damian stealthy yanked the menu out of Lors hand, he also expected Lor let him, there was no way that he could break superstregnth that easily.    


But still, Damian  _ wants _ . He really really really wants to know Lor beyond all of this. Maybe he should text Jon for some advice.

"Damian theres something-" Lor stopped talking. He didn't even know where to begin. What to tell Damian without him running back to Gotham as fast he could. He knew he could say these things to Jon. Late nights at the Kent house, Jon running his hands through his hair when Lor tells him all the feelings he held back his whole life. Jon was easy to talk to, Damian... not so much.   


"Um... I have to go to the bathroom" Lor splurged then hurried to the back of the restaurant.

Damian nods in confusion and shoots a quick text to Jon in the meantime.

_ Hey, everythings going great. We know you set us up on this weird date, but not date thing. How do I get Lor to talk to me about his feelings? _

Lor started to panic. A small part of him, the part that was rooted in him by his mother, told him that he didn't deserve someone like Damian. That he didn't deserve anyone at all. But then the part of him that Jon helped bring out, the part that wanted to let his feelings out, told him that he wasn't in his mother's shadow anymore. Lor could live his life any way he wanted and he deserved to be happy. He just had to go back out there, tell Damian everything, and hope that Damian wanted to be with him anyway.

 

_ Come on Jon, reply! What the hell are you doing?! _   
His phone finally dinged   
**Damian Wayne? Talk about feelings? Is hell freezing over?**   
_ Not the time, smartass. _   
**Lor will talk to you, trust me. Just like how you did. It wasn't that I SAID anything. I just listened and waited for when you two eventually spoke to me about your past. I didn't rush it, I didn't push it. You guys came to me and I still stuck around.**   
_ Thanks Corn Cob <3 _   
**Not a problem, Bat boy <3**

 

Lor looked at himself in the mirror, wiped away the tears that had started to form, and walked back out to the table.    


"Sorry for running off like that Damian, it wasn't anything you said, I just..." Lor trailed off. He didn't know how to explain. That's not true, he did know how, he just didn't want to push Damian away.    


"I just started feeling like nothing I do now changes anything. I've made so many mistakes, done terrible things, things I can't take back no matter how much I want to."

_ Jesus, Jon wasn't wrong. Is this some sort of Kryptonian telepathy thing? _   


Damian jaw Lors lip start to tremble   


_ Focus, Wayne.  _

Damian reached across a table and held Lors hand. He remembered when Jon did that when he was talking about his past how he felt at ease. The relief that washed over him. 

"Go on Lor. I know exactly what you're talking about"

Feeling Damian's hand gave Lor the courage he needed to continue.    


"Some part of me knows that it wasn't my choice, that I had to do those things to survive, but it doesn't make it any easier. I still hear their screams in my head, I hear them begging for mercy, but worst of all, I can hear myself cutting them down."

Damian knew the feeling  _ all _ too well. But it wasn't his place to say anything yet. Just sit and listen. Assure him hes not the monster he thinks he is. Tell him everything that Damian himself wanted to be told.    


The pain for Lor is still new, it's raw and festering like an open wound.    


Damian squeezes his hand, harder. He doubts Lor can feel it much, but he hopes its enough

"Then after Superman defeated my father, we were all sent to the phantom zone. I know that he had no idea I was being forced to help my parents, but it hurt just the same. Superman, the defender of truth and justice, was giving up on me, locking me away and throwing out the key." Now that he's started, talking to Damian feels natural. Lor's glad he's decided to open up because he can see the pain in Damian's eyes. He can see that Damian's childhood was no picnic either.

"Hey, I appreciate you wanting to listen but enough about me. I want to be here for you too," Lor started rubbing Damian's hand reassuringly.

"Not until you finish. Tell me everything. Everything that's bothering you. Everything you thought in the phantom zone. And trust me, you're a lot nicer than me when I first started getting over my murderous rages."   


Lors stomach growled loudly and the poor boy turned a shade of crimson.   


"Lets just put story time on pause until our food get here." Damian smiles handing lor back his menu.

"Ya I guess I'm pretty feeling pretty hungry," Lor admitted, "All this feelings talk really wears me out. No wonder Jon is always eating." Lor looked down at the menu to decide what he wanted to eat.  Something in the back of his head, what he liked to call his Jon voice, reminded him that Damian was vegetarian. Damian probably wouldn't mind if he ordered meat but he wanted to make sure. 

"Damian, are you ok  if I order something with meat in it?"

"I thought Jons excuse was the he's a growing boy." Damian chuckled.  "And Im  _ Arab _ Lor, like the first decade of my life I was pumped full of red meat. Im not opposed to others eating meat, I just chose not to."

"I'm pretty sure the 'I'm a growing boy' excuse stops when you turn 16, but who are we to go against Jon."  The waitress  then appeared at their table, ready to take their order.    
"I'll have the filet please, medium." Lor said politely.

Damian had to snort at that, "The Al Forno Conchiglie please." he smiled politely to the waitress, she went off to the back.

"You were saying, handsome?" Damian grinned to Lor

"Oh so we're using nicknames  _ Dami _ ?" 

Lor was so happy just being with Damian. Talking to him, laughing with him, looking at him. Lor could happily spend a day just looking into Damian's eyes. Speaking of which, they were looking at him expectantly.   


"Oh right, I was talking about the phantom zone. Let me just start by saying I hope you never have to experience it. Its like being in a never ending isolation chamber. It was horrible." Lor shivered at the memory. 

"I'd start every day hoping that I would finally be rescued before remembering that hope was useless. No one out there was looking for me, because I had no one who even cared I was gone."

The light atmosphere that settled over them vanished to a heavier one.   


"But... what about your parents? Didn;t you have the both of them with you?" Damian blurted

"My parents..." Lor trailed off, "Well my dad went off to find the rest of his Kryptonian army and my mom, well my mom just left. If there was no one for us to fight, she didn't see the point of us sticking together." Lor felt the tears starting to well up in his eyes. 

"I couldn't have been more alone.

Damians heart shattered in his chest and he moved quickly and held Lor.   


"When I was four years old, my mother and my grandfather left me at the bottom of a mountain in the alps. I slipped, broke my wrist and my arm. But I had to keep going. It was expected of me. That didn't stop the pain in my arm. Or the fact that I  _ wanted _ my mother around to take care of me. I was all alone. Granted, it's not the Phantom Zone. But. I know how you feel Lor."   


Damian held the boy close to his chest. He wasn't a huge hugger, just as Lor wasn't one for overly showing emotions. But tonight is different.

Lor pulled Damian tightly to his chest, "No one should ever have to feel alone like that" he murmured.  He and Damian stayed like that for a moment. No words, just holding each other, taking comfort that the other had an idea of exactly what they went through. Then Lor looked up and noticed the few other people in the restaurant were staring at them. 

"Dami, I'm all for cuddling, but maybe we can continue this once we leave the restaurant?"

"This isn't cuddling, this is therapeutic touch." Damian said matter of factly. In actuality, he just didn't want to let go of Lor. He wanted to stay wrapped up in his peppermint smell; it was so fresh and strong it tickled his nostrils everytime he took a breath in. Lors arms were strong, wrapped around his back, comforting. Damian could honestly fall asleep like this.    


He lifted his head and glared at the on lookers, who turned their gaze back to their meals.    


"But fine, if we must."

"Sorry Dami, I promise we can 'therapeutically touch' all you want later. And its kind of nice when your bat-glare is not directed at me." Even though Damian went back to his seat across the table, Lor made sure their hands never let go.

Damian had to smirk at that, " _ All I want _ , huh?"

"Bat boy, I don't think I could ever get tired of you touching me."

Damian chokes on his water.    


"I meant cuddling Damian." Lor purred.   


"That is  _ not _ what you meant, fly boy." Damian coughs over the hammering of his heart.

"Just shut it and eat your Telephone Corncheese thingy," Lor said, as the waitress came over with their food.

Damian laughed at that, a hard laugh. One that made his stomach hurt. He hasnt laughed that hard than when Grayson got drunk at christmas and fell off the manor roof into a pile of snow. 

"w-w-  _ WHAT _ did you call it?!"

"Telephone. Corncheese." Lor stared at Damian, unblinking, "I'm sorry I don't speak vegetarian-ese"

Damian laughed again and picked up his fork, "You're something else Zod."

"Right back atchya Wayne," Lor couldn't help a smirk from breaking through his attempt at a stoic look. The waitress put both of their meals on the table before hurrying away, no longer able to contain herself from laughing.

* * *

 

Dinner was wonderful; he and Lor shared a dessert of tiramisu. 

Now Lor had him pinned against the wall in an alleyway behind the restaurant with his tongue down his throat. And Damian has to admit that it's the most  _ delicious _ thing hes ever tasted.

"Thought I was supposed to you win you prizes at the fair." he gasped as Lor bit down on his neck.

"Are you kidding, I just won the freaking lottery here," Lor moaned as Damian's hands moved down his back.

"How do you kiss this good for someone whos been isolated for like ten years?!" Damian blurted, running his hands under Lors shirt

"I haven't been able to think since you pulled us into the alleyway, I'm on autopilot right now."

"Nice to know I have that effect on you." Damian chuckled as he took of Lors shirt and kissed him again.   


"Wait a minute,  _ I _ didn't pull you into the alleyway, you  _ pushed me in here! _ "

"Agree to disagree." With what little common sense he had left, Lor picked up Damian and sped them back to Jon's place. 

"As much as I loved where that was going, I wanted us to be somewhere a little more private."

"We were in an alley, how much more private could you want." Damian smirked, lining hickies down Lors neck.

"Ok maybe not private, but Jon's place is cleaner... I think. Now shirt off, you're wearing way to much clothing for my liking."

" _ Jons room?! _ Are you sure you're not forgetting the chips scattered across the floor, along with the ants? Or the pile of laundry that's growing  _ mold? _ "

"Okay rich boy, we don't  _ all _ have butlers to clean up after ourselves." Lor rolled his eyes

"I am serious about that shirt, you know. Are you gonna take it off, or do I have to do it for you?"

Damian gave Lor a shit eating grin and raised his hands so that the other boy could take off his shirt for him.   
  
"Finally," Lor whispered in Damian's ear as he pulled his shirt over his head. He ran his hands down Damian's chest, stopping on his abs.

Damian kissed Lor, delicately holding his wrists and dragged them down to his hips. Lor took that as a sign to back Damian up to the bed. Damian stumbled and fell onto the soft sheets as Lor crawled over him.

Not one to waste time, Lor bent down and kissed Damian eagerly, hands working on unbuttoning Damian's pants as he pushed farther into his mouth.

Damian's thoughts were just a broken record of "YES! YES! YES! YES!" The farther they went. He mirrored his movements off of the other boy, fiddling with Lors belt and unzipping his jeans.    


Lor broke the kiss and Damian quickly kicked off his shoes, while Lor took his pants off. Lor did the same, although he gave Damian a little show while stripping off his jeans that he  _ greatly _ appreciated.

Before Lor could get his hands back on Damian, Jon burst into the room.

"I know I set you two up but are you fucking _joking_ me?! Lor you have your own room!"

Lor wasnt a person that was used to be snuck up on, kryptonian senses and everything. But seeing Jon, also without a shirt and his pants unbuttoned, barge in startled him so much he fell off the bed. Damian stifled a laugh in his hand as he quickly covered himself with Jon's sheets.

"My room was too far!"

"SO YOU DECIDE TO FUCK IN  _ MY _ ROOM! THATS GROSS! I SLEEP ON THAT BED!" Jon yelled.

Lor open and closed his mouth trying to think of a proper comeback. 

"Or, we could stop wasting time and go to  _ his _ room." Another voice purred. Damian snapped his head up to a shirtless Suren Darga nuzzling at Jon's ear, then pressing kisses to his shoulder.

" _ SUREN?! _ YOURE HOOKING UP WITH  _ SUREN?! _ " Damian screamed, looking at the other Arab boy, aghast. 

"I'm his boyfriend, Damian." Suren said with a tone that implied an eye roll, looping his arms around Jon's waist.

With that, Suren dragged Jon off to Lor's room, leaving Damian and Lor by themselves.

"Wait a minute! I don't want them doing anything on my bed," Lor yelled.

"You could go stop them," Damian said with a shrug,  "or,"  and then he leaned into Lor to whisper in his ear, "you could stay right here and I'll give you the best blowjob of your life."

Lor blinked owlishly and Damian licked his lips.

"I'm not going anywhere." Lor said as his voice cracked embarrassingly. 

Damian grinned and crooked a finger towards himself. 

"That's a good boy." He purred   


The next thing Lor knew is that his back was against the headboard and Damian was straddling his lap, trailing wet kisses down his jaw and neck. The lower Damian went, the faster Lors heart raced against his chest.    


Damian flicked the tip of his tongue into his belly button and Lor let out a moan so loud it shook the house.  Damian palmed the other boys already leaking erection as he laughed.   


"We'll blame that on Jon."

"Uh huh, sure," Lor replied distractedly. He was focused on Damian's fingers roaming along his thigh. 

"Do you like that," Damian breathed as he mouthed at the tent  in Lor's boxers. 

Lor could only nod in response.

Without warning, Damian yanked off Lors boxers and began to pump his member, enjoying all the high pitched squeaks and moans coming from him.    


Damian slowly popped the Lors head into his mouth, licking at his slit and swirling his tongue around it slowly.    


Damian let his tongue fall flat as he slowly enveloped more if Lors length, his head bobbing at a tortuously slow pace. But hearing the screams and feeling the writhing boy under him was worth every second.

Damian's mouth felt amazing, Lor just needed him to speed up. He reached down to Damian's head and gently grabbed his hair. 

"Faster, Damian," he whined.

Damian licked up the side of his shaft just as slow and enveloped him into his mouth again, just as a big  _ No _ .   


Lor tightened his hold on his hair and yanked hard.    


Damian let his jaw go slack as he moaned wantonly around Lors dick.    


Damian hallowed his cheeks and sucked upwards flicking his eyes up to Lor.    


He was a  _ mess _ .   


His cheeks were stained crimson, his black hair was tangled and knotted. His dark eyes were screwed shut as he let out breathless moans.  Damian smiled to himself as he sank his mouth down to the root of Lors dick.    


" _ Damian! _ " Lor moaned loudly

Lor grabbed the sheets on Jon's bed till his knuckles turned white. When Damian said he was gonna get the best blowjob of his life, he wasn't kidding. Granted, Damian was the first person he'd ever been with, but Lor doubted anything would ever top this.

Lor was practically  _ sobbing _ as Damian sucked upwards and fondled his balls at the same time.    


"Damian!!! Damian, yes, yes,  _ please! _ Yes!"   
  
_ He really knows how to feed a guys ego _ Damian thought, placing both of his hands on Lors ass. Lor clenched his hand in Damian's hair and bucked his hips into Damian's hot, wet, mouth.    


He let out a loud gasp in surprise and did it again. Lor felt cold and on fire at the same time, he could hear his heart banging in his ears. He kept thrusting into Damian's mouth and Damian kept receiving.

Now Lor was speeding up his thrusts as the most  _ embarrassing _ noises came out of his mouth.   


"D-damian!  _ Oh fuck _ I think-!" Lor tried to warn.    


Something deep inside him snapped and Lor let out a roar.

Damian's eyes were shut, his dark eyelashes fanned out against his tan cheeks, a red blush spread across his cheeks. He looked so unbothered, as if there was no place he'd rather be than in between his thighs.    


Damian swallowed and sat up, looking at Lor with half lidded eyes as he wiped the drool off of his chin with the back of his hand. 

A smug look crossed Damian's features, "Now was I wron-"   


He didn't have time to finish that sentence as Lor tackled him and kissed him deeply.

As he was kissing Damian, Lor ran his hand down Damian's chest. He could feel Damian moan when he started to palm the outline of his dick. Lor pulled away from Damian when he felt him start to thrust up into his hand, "My turn," Lor said with a wicked grin across his face. With that, he kissed his way down to Damian's boxers before slowly sliding them off.

"Have you done this before?" Damian asks breathlessly, a crooked smile stretched across his beautiful features.   


"How is it that now,  _ of all times _ , you're  _ still _ a smartass?" Lor snapped, wrapping his fist around Damians erection and pumping slowly.    


"You like it, fly boy." Damian hummed as he let his head fall back against Jons pillows.    


Lor could feel his face turn a beet red, he  _ did _ like it. But he'd never give Damian the satisfaction of knowing.   


"Im gonna use teeth right as youre about to cum." Lor threatened.    


"You wouldn't" Damian snapped his head up. Lor laughed as he kept pumping.

"Just keep in mind, they don't exactly teach these things in the Phantom Zone. So." Lor said as he lowered his face hesitantly. Damian just groaned and thrusted his hips upwards, bucking his hips into Lors mouth.   


"Mmph-!"   


"Stop. Talking." Damian moaned, a shiver running from the tips of his toes to the top of his head when Lors tongue swirled around his length.

Lor was a natural. The way he applied pressure to all the right areas, the way he licked and teased. This has got to be the best blowjob of  _ his _ life.    


"Lor~" Damian moaned, "Lor, don't stop. I'm  _ so _ close."   


Lor pulls off of Damians member with a wet pop. Damian moans partly because that sound was hot as hell and partly in frustration.    


He wrapped his fist around Damians member and used his super speed to get him off.

"What are you- OH!" Damian screamed out, grabbing at the sheets and arching off the bed. Damian screamed his voice raw as he came all over himself, Lor still milking him through his high.    


"Oops. I made a mess. Guess I should clean it up." Lor said seductively as the licked the cooling cum off of Damians abs. Damian struggled to catch his breath as his head swam with arousal.

Lor licked his lips and flopped down beside his lover.   


"What the fuck was  _ that? _ " Damian panted when he managed to catch his breath (and some blood returned to his brain).    


Lor shrugged, "It was my turn."

"That was... very good use of your turn." Damian mumbled as he felt Lors arms wrap around him.    


"Thanks! Im glad you liked it!" Lor smirked.    


"If I wasn't so tired, Id hit you with a pillow." Damian snarked, cuddling into his warmth.   


Lor kissed Damians forehead and carded his fingers through his hair.    


"Jons gonna be pissed to find cum on his sheets." Damian chuckled.   


"He  _ broke _ my bed and told Suren, 'it's okay! We'll blame it on Lor!"    


Damian laughed, "Well, when I wake up from my nap we can break  _ his _ bed."    


Lor smirked and held Damian to his chest. "Rest well, my love."    


And like a spell, Damian fell fast asleep in Lors arms.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all crack. And sin.  
> Im sorry.  
> But Jackson is not.


End file.
